***Archived*** Job Cut Status & Comments

Job Cut Status Archives!

Here are the latest Comments from IBM employees:

=================== Last update for survey ==================

Folks, I have run the survey below for about a month, and am wrapping it up.
As I do so, I have one comment and one question:

Comment: Although this survey was unscientific, I think it does show a clear pattern of more folks being rated "3" this year than usual. Does anyone disagree? Back when I was a manager in the 90s, the appraisal skew for the "4" and "3" categories would be around 10%. This year, the "3" category seems to be definitely higher than 10%.

Question: Does anybody know what IBM says, when other companies call it for verification of employment? Does HR only give out the dates of employment and nothing else, i.e. no info about performance, rehiring eligibility, etc? That's what I've been told, but it'd be nice if someone from HR could confirm. Thanks.

----------------------------- Final results --------------------------------

Question: if you were RA'ed recently, was your PBC downgraded artificially to a "3" before you were cut?

Answer: Total of 334 respondents

Yes - 99 responses (30%)
No - 155 responses (46%)
Lowered from a "2+" to a "2" - 27 responses (8%)
Other - 53 responses (16%)

If you have been RA'ed recently, please consider taking this 1-question survey: http://tinyurl.com/dmwb28
Thank you.
===========================================================================================================================
I have also created a Yahoo group so we can offer mutual support and eventually meet in person. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RAed2009
Please pass the word on to your colleagues who got the axe.
You can post messages there right away (it's an "open" group). Thank you. -soon-to-be-ex-SWG-

To IBM Employees, if you want to calc the totals RA'ed in your division and get a count/percent RA'ed by Age from your Employee Package PDF; give this JobCutsStats tool a shot. Download it from here: http://groups.google.com/group/ppbiz-group/files
Just unzip to a folder. See the Help doc for usage instructions.

Notice From Alliance@IBM 05/15/09:
Cobra 65% subsidy appeal process and IBM loophole.
IBM Attorney's found a loop hole denying some recently laid off workers from the 65% COBRA Subsidy by classifying them as 'retired' and eligible to particiapte in the IBM retiree group health Plan.

In many cases the IBM Group Health Plan is a much higher cost than COBRA, especially if one does not have a Future Health Account. The 65% COBRA Subsidy is managed by the Federal DOL.
The Federal DOL is aware of this loop hole and will be posting an appeals form on their website: www.dol.gov/cobra. They can also be reached at 866-444-3274.
Please file an appeal with the Federal DOL if you have been denied the 65% COBRA Subsidy.
If a large group of former IBMers file an appeal, the Federal DOL will process this as a group case against IBM.
Please also contact your government representatives. Let's raise our voices in Washington.

Comment 12/31/09: Job cuts in Dallas at Diplomat location started yesterday. Some managers even called employees on Christmas Eve to bring them in for meetings (but most were out of town). We were told more to come next week. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: If you have any emails or documentation on management in Dallas calling people on Christmas Eve, please send to ibmunionalliance@gmail.com

Comment 12/31/09: I don’t know what’s taking IT professionals so long to see the light. Other professionals learned a long time ago – ask Sully Sullenberger or any other pilot for that matter. Sully is a national hero not only for saving lives on the Hudson but he’s also a champion for the pilots’ union/labor – he testified at House Aviation committee about older experienced pilots, protecting pensions, training, pay, etc. Pilot contracts aren’t immune from benefit & pay issues – but they don’t get fired without cause w/30 day notice either – recession or no recession. And, airline industry is much more competitive than IT industry!!! I don’t know about you – but I’d rather pay a higher fare & fly with 59 yr old Sully as Captain than with a pilot half his age, half his experience & half his pay. I bet lot of IT customers think the same way about their investments. -annonymous-

Comment 12/31/09: STG Timeline Layoffs coming:
1. Some STG employees needed to get their PBC results done by 1st week of December.
2. STG RAd list was finalized that last week of November.
3. Some STG were told on the 2nd week of December that their jobs will be moving to China. 15 minute meeting.
4. Some STG employees are getting emails for one-on-one 1st week of January for their PBC assesment year results (PBC grade).
5. STG will have the final list in place for layoffs for January 2010.
*Note: Good luck for those having One-on-Ones the first week on January for their PBC result grade. -OneOfThem-

Comment 12/31/09: RA's in 2010 will be like in 2009. And they should happen early in the year for IBM to reap benefits with the payroll reduction. Tighten your seat belt. Did you ever notice that if you slightly rearrange the letters of "reap" you get "rape"? http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091231/BIZ/912310320/-1/BIZ2102 -Anonymous-

Comment 12/30/09: anonymous- the first USA job at your link for job "General Other Consultant" required a bachelor degree, not GED -anonymous-

Comment 12/30/09: To Gone-in07. What's the difference between a brown noser and an ass kisser? Depth perception. -anon-

Comment 12/29/09: To Exodus2007 Thanks! I was worried that the message would get taken the wrong way. To Gone_in_07 Amazing isn't it? -Quimby-

Comment 12/29/09: "...do not know how many are affected but they are off the books 12/31.."
Typical IBM. These folks probably lose whatever GDP they should have gotten if they were still employed THROUGH 12/31. Means more profit for IBM and a bigger bonus for Slammy P. and the Armonk posse. And the majority of folks out there in and around IBM still don't see a need for a union to make IBM play fair. Unbelieveable. -anonymous-

Comment 12/29/09: Seems like Global Services is hiring 'Consultants' with just a GED... < link > what a pity.... -Anonymous-

Comment 12/29/09: To Exodus 12/27 comment: I knew a manager butt kisser that was so bad he was buying the manager coffee. We were at a table in the cafe one day and he heard the managers voice behind him, got up and left our table and went to sit with the manager. This guy was so bad he talked anti union in front of the manager all the time. He was one of those 3 year contractors that had to leave after 3 years and guess what, the manager made him permanent while the rest of us got ra'd. I just ran into another butt kisser in the local Walmart who told me there was a shift in management and this guy went to a new manager and got ra'd. haaaaaaaa You are correct, these people think they can out work the ra's but in the end they all get it. Maybe he should of joined the Alliance, heh heh. -Gone_in_07-

Comment 12/28/09: To gmangle - where did you see the emails, are they from the employees or management? What accounts did they work on? -dun-4-

Comment 12/28/09: Saw emails form people who are being let go for not moving to Iowa... do not know how many are affected but they are off the books 12/31... this is in global services. -gmangle-

Comment 12/27/09: -Quimby- I for one understand your message exactly. IBMers are so entrenched in their job rut, nose to the grindstone and all that sort of thing that they embody that phrase from history. Its as if they believe they can outwork the RA's even though history has shown they cannot. Most seem to believe that if they out work or somehow meet the outrageous performance requirements of their jobs they will somehow be spared. That taking no time for family or enjoyment and just slaving away will somehow make it all better. Its always sad come the day they are fired for profits that they realize their children are grown and being a good little work widget put food in their stomachs but no happiness in their hearts. It is the work widget mentality that prevents IBMers from organizing yet makes them the most productive self supervising employees in the world. They of course have to be self supervising because the only skill modern day first line managers have is butt kissing. They could not run the means of production by themselves for a half a day without the widgets. It is so sad. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/25/09: Clarification: In reading my last msg I would just like to say that my intention was not to associate the Holocaust with anything IBM is doing. What I meant is that sheep are sheep and you should not believe anything IBM tells you. Question, challenge, be alert and be ready to mobilize if necessary. Any one of us could be RA'd at any moment and your performance and dedication means nothing. That's what I was trying to say. Peace! -Quimby-

Comment 12/25/09: -TBH- If your targeted for an RA then you are a goner. PBC 3,2, 2+ it doesn't matter if your are RA'ed. 99% of the time your 30 or 60 days (those states with better WARN Act law) will go by and you'll be gone. IBMers just don't believe this can happen to them.. until it does happen. The PBC Comments section has more of this discussion. -anonymous-

Comment 12/23/09: The Call Center outsourcing has become a huge disaster. The reps have names like "Edsel, Homer, Elmer, Anne etc" all of which look like they were chosen from a "Baby Name Book" circa 1935. They act like little machines reading off a script, have no emotion, no personality and when asked to deviate from the script they are lost. Oh yea, they also have no clue what calls go to what SSR etc. Still, true to form ,some IBM drones are helping and cluing these people in instead of asking them to do their jobs. Yea.. Just like: "Your Work Will Set You Free"... Learn from history all you IBM bleed blue drones, it won't.... I see it but I don't believe it. One year left and I will open my own business. I can't wait. -Quimby-

Comment 12/23/09: Am I correct that a person who is chosen for an RA and given a PBC 3 rating is not even given the false hope of finding another job within IBM within the 30 day period before their separation date? Not that it really matters… once you get hit by the RA, you have almost no chance of finding any way to stay employed at IBM, and you should not want to either. However, I am wondering whether the RA coupled with the PBC 3 mark will make you ineligible to stick around or be considered for any rehire. -TBH-

Comment 12/23/09: Rumor has it that these are not ibm jobs but contractors. Rumor also has it that a recently opened Vietnam group has all been fired as has the team lead in India where that work was sent. Is IBM bringing work back to the US as they have problems with non US workers? -Bugbert-

Comment 12/22/09:
IBM to add 500 workers in Boulder, Colo. -
IBM to add 500 workers in Boulder, Colo. in expansion aided by $35,000 in city incentives.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for the Union to organize the new employees, and maybe some of the 2,800 employees already on-site, before the incentives from the City of Bolder and State of Colorado run out and the jobs quickly run off-shore like so many others have!

Here is a link to a short article about the jobs: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/IBM-to-add-500-workers-in-apf-3741695440.html/print?x=0 -MyThoughts-

Comment 12/20/09: ibm.com in Atlanta is laying off about 80 folks that have the inside GB client rep position. IBM is transforming that position into something that works even more closely with business partners. There are currently 12 job posts open for this new position, which these 80 folks are permitted to interview for. These 12 openings may grow up to around 40 I am told. Merry Christmas. -dilbertisreal-

Comment 12/18/09: There are tons to go in early January in Canada I see mention of IGS Canada but there will be all areas, STG ibm.com teams, Client ibm.com. Shifting this busienss to Business Partners. All areas will be hit again as expense budgets for all areas have been cut big time. -More to go in 2010-

Comment 12/17/09: 25 contractors were let go this past week from IBM Canada (Toronto) - Some left on the same day as notice was given and some were given 2 weeks notice. Rumours are that there were 100 let go over Canada. January is when they will lay off perm staff in IGS. -DM-

Comment 12/15/09: anon, that Dubuque link doesn't work for me. Could you post a summary here? -Anon-
Alliance Reply: I didn't realize that the "link" goes to a LinkedIn address & article, that you need to be a LinkedIn member to see. If Anon doesn't respond with a summary, I will get the information from my LinkedIn account, and post it here.

Comment 12/16/09: -ANON- A fact: with IBM an RA is always a possibility..and at any time. Conventional wisdom would seem to point that if there was a layoff left for this year it would have been announced on 12/1/2009 so those given the 30 day death march would not be on the payroll on 12/31/2009 so IBM management would be able to pocket of keep those growth driven pay (GDP) that these folks would be owed for a PBC 2 or higher. If IBM is forecasting a soft 1st QTR 2010 then, yes, watch out for RA's. It would be a 100% probability IMHO. I think it is very plausible that the Alliance has done a great job in uncovering the 10,000+ IBMers who have been let go in the USA so far this year. Maybe it has hit just a tiny nerve with IBM. IBM is probably cooling their jets a bit for the remainer of this year and then will have a whole head of RA steam for 2010 once people forget about the 2009 job cuts (which with most people doesn't take much time). It (RA's) I feel has all to do with the almighty EPS target and the inherent and incestuous greed that goes with IBM executive management. -da_facts-

Comment 12/15/09: Anyone hear of any rumors of RA's before the end of the year? Conventional wisdom suggests that RA's will begin again in first quarter, but I just left a meeting where rumor was that RA's could happen this year. -ANON-
Alliance Reply: They STILL spread rumors of job cuts INSIDE IBM? Do you think they could spread the word about Alliance@IBM, too? I mean, it seems to me that one could mention both, in the same conversation......nay, the same sentence!!.. don't you think? Geez, who'da thunk?

Comment 12/15/09: Iowa Dubuque job req <link> -anon-

Comment 12/13/09 Can anyone pass on news of how things are going at the GDCs? (Global Delivery Centers)
Members of my team are being told that their job is being moved to the GDC in Iowa and that they can either move themselves out there (no expense reimbursment) or traind their replacement and then be most likely out of a job....-Anon-

Comment 12/07/09 GOSHEN — If IBM eliminates jobs at its data-recovery center in Sterling Forest, it will lose some of the tax breaks it enjoys there under a new agreement with the Orange County Industrial Development Agency.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091207/BIZ/912070320
The five-year, five-month extension of the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes arrangement runs through May 28, 2015. The PILOT has existed since 1993, and has been the IDA's largest source of funding. The annual payments typically run between $600,000 and $750,000, enabling the IDA to build up a sizeable war chest and fund such initiatives as the Orange County Business Accelerator, an incubator that opened recently near Stewart International Airport. ......-Anon-

Comment 12/05/09 One of the members of the IBM board was interviewed on CNBC regarding jobs. She did a great job of saying nothing. I don't know why she was not asked about the 10,000 layoffs or IBM plans for hiring. Media lapdogs.
http://aresourceaction.blogspot.com/2009/12/rpi-president-on-innovation-cnbccom.html -RA'd in EFK-

Comment 12/05/09 The only information that I have is like I had said. From John Ditoro's staff member. BTV is up for sale, the sale is close. Before the sale there will be a layoff of 1500 to 2000 people accross the facility. I cannot name the source or when pertinent information follows, there will be no heads up. Will keep all informed. -Joe-

Comment 12/04/09 ComeBackLou is right. Things were better under Lou than they are currently. Lou may have started all this but he was never as cold & ruthlesss as Sam P. turned out to be. -Lou2-
Alliance Reply: Lou Gerstner was the originator CEO of the firings in 1994. It was unsysematic, cold , and calculating. Good people that worked for IBM for 5, 10, 20, 25 years were thrown out the door without regard for their "value add"; that IBM made such a big deal about, at the time. That's as cold & ruthless as you can get, in my opinion. I do agree with you that Sam P. is much worse; but he had the best teacher: Lou Gerstner. There is/was nothing "better" about Lou Gerstner. It'd be like saying "Gosh, things were much better when I was in Purgatory... this is real hell!" If you want to continue this diuscussion, please take it to General Comments

Comment 12/03/09 Look who's coming to dinner..... I wounder how they will present job creation when the US jobs are being dumped as fast as they can. http://womma.org/summit09/Summit-2009-Attendee-List.pdf -Anonymous-

Comment 12/02/09 Been following the board for a couple years but have not posted. 20 yr dedicated employee who stopped bleeding blue recently. I sacrifced alot for IBM and have never been below a 2+. Always felt this was "my" company and worked like I owned a piece. Was a two way relationship for awhile. Eventually when it's not paid back the relationship changes. Never seen so much money taken at the top with so little shared where the work gets done. Profit and share price is great but we are told once again "times are tough....sorry". From the CEs, CSEs, PEs and "lowly" ITD sys admins and DBAs , it's been the effort of the people, not the process, that have made our customer's happy. Always hero effort going the extra mile. Now the people are punching a timecard thinkng about how to get out. Feels like the stock option execs are riding on the backs of the people working 80 hour weeks. Good job Sam, enjoy your millions. If I were you I would have stopped the employee survey as well. -ComeBackLou-
Alliance Reply: If you don't mind, I'd prefer; and I think other ex-IBMers would prefer, that "Lou" stay where he is. He's the one that started all this firing of IBMers in 1994. I was there, I know. He was the original hatchet man, who taught Sam P. everything he knows about squashing working people. He permanently damaged that feeling you have that it was "your company". No thanks.

Comment 11/26/09 It has been reported that there will be about 1,000 job cuts in 1st quarter of 2010. The managers accidently slipped this information. This guy is one of the leads when it comes to determing who gets cut. The way they determine is, by looking at who put in the least overtime hours and that person becomes a candidate for resource action. The tool used is CLAIM and some employees are not allowed to report OT over a certain amount. Another lead in job cuts who is just brought in as a temp manager just to cut people and then moved on to different project is XXXX YYYYYY (XY@us.ibm.com). He is an expert in laying off people. These people, along with Bob Moffat are regarded very highly in the IBM organization. Of course, Bob got caught but XXXX worked very closely with Bob. -Anonymous-
Alliance Reply: I'm sorry, but I can't print the "lead" names, emails, or phone #'s here. We've been spoofed before by people trying to use Alliance as a public tool of revenge for personal reasons. Please contact us if you wish to discuss further, and include your email.

Comment 11/22/09 There are two separation provisions in IBM that pay severance: The enhanced separation provision or option which is the 2 weeks pay per year at separation and the reduced separation provision or option which is the 1 weeks pay per year at separation. If you are a PBC 3 and management does a involuntary separation (i.e. termination) outside of a RA then you can get only one weeks pay per year severance. Nothing says you are entitled to two weeks pay per year of service that most RAed get. Who knows what IBM's future separation provisions might be. Since separation pay is not negotiable in IBM because you have NO CONTRACT and are an AT WILL EMPLOYEE you can and will be screwed at separation. -anonymous-
Alliance Reply: If you wish to continue this discussion; please do so on the General Visitors comments or PBC Comments section. Thank you.

Comment 11/22/09 "The comment below about getting a PBC rating of 3 and only getting 1 week of severance per year worked is not accurate".
Really? I was RA'ed and was a PBC 3 for just past year and I was told on the last day by my manager that since I did not quite fully adequately train my replacement I did not fulfill all the requirements of the RA notice so I was given only one weeks pay per year worked after I signed the RA papers. My manager said I could have received nothing and manager said that "fought for me" to get the one weeks pay per year RA separation pay.. -RAed-
Alliance Reply: If you wish to continue this discussion; please do so on the General Visitors comments or PBC Comments section. Thank you.

Comment 11/21/09 "I have from 1 of John Ditoro's staff members that the Burlington, Vt facility is for sale. A buyer is close to acquiring and there will be 1500 to 2000 employees laid off. This is all from a reliable source at btv. -Joe-"
Hi Joe, Do you have any more information? I can tell you that something is up at the Burlington, VT site. This site has been limping along for years sheding thousands of employees. All the employees IBM wants, report to other sites now. IBM has not invested in thie Burlington VT site for years. It is a well known fact that IBM wants out of Vermont. More information, please! -BTVer-

Comment 11/20/09 http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141198/New_H_1B_hiring_bill_takes_aim_at_tech_firms
Computerworld - The two lawmakers who successfully added H-1B hiring restrictions to the financial bailout bill earlier this year have introduced legislation that would bar any firm that lays off 50 or more workers from hiring guest workers. This legislation, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), could potentially affect a broad swath of tech firms that have laid off large numbers of workers but continue hiring. ............. -Anon-

Comment 11/20/09 The comment below about getting a PBC rating of 3 and only getting 1 week of severance per year worked is not accurate. If it is your 2nd PBC 3 rating in a row, management can initiate the separation based on performance, where they typically give the 1 week. As for the RA's, if you get tagged with a 3 at PBC time, especially if it is your first one, assume you are on the next RA list. Happened to me this year and I had an exceptionally strong year in 08 (should have received a 2+). I ended up with the standard severance package. For those of you left behind, it has been said over and over here, organize or you will continue to be picked off year after year. Can anyone left say that any part of the work environment has improved in the last 5 years? Don't be a sheep like I was or you'll become a statistic. -Incognito-
Alliance Reply: If you wish to continue this discussion; please do so on the General Visitors comments or PBC Comments section. Thank you.

Comment 11/19/09 10% furlough this quarter for contractors. Along with threats of being fired if the customer is informed of the furlough -Fearful of reprisals-

Comment 11/18/09 The article on the front page on the testimony of the IBM exec confims what the Alliance has been saying right along: that the number of US employees is now down to 105,000. -anon-

Comment 11/18/09 -raleigh ibmer- If you get a PBC "3" and are RA'ed you can only get one week of severance pay per year worked (max. of 13 weeks pay). This has happened. Generally IBM gives the standard severance of two weeks pay per week of work (max. of 26 weeks pay). They can also change and give no severance whatsoever if their are no legal constraints. My post was to make the folks know that hanging around in IBM for the hope of getting a severance when RA'ed is not a sure thing, particularly if IBM has to RA to make their almighty EPS targets since severance payments bring down the EPS. -anon-
Alliance Reply: If you wish to continue this discussion; please do so on the General Visitors comments or PBC Comments section. Thank you.

Comment 11/17/09 RTP news, RTP Globalization Center of Excellence for more than 10 years losing 50% of it's business to China, in 2010, most of the rest of business will be going to China as well. Over 100 comined years of globalizztion experience being s*canned to save a few dollars -Anonymous-

Comment 11/17/09 I have from 1 of John Ditoro's staff members that the Burlington, Vt facility is for sale. A buyer is close to acquiring and there will be 1500 to 2000 employees laid off. This is all from a reliable source at btv. -Joe-

Comment 11/17/09 Hey -disgusted- You dont need to be qualfied for any position in Dubuque.. All IBM is waiting for is their $30 Million payday from the St. of Iowa in two years. IBM MUST HAVE over 1100 Iowa residents (tax payers) working out of the DBQ GDF for TWO years (per loan agreement) and then IBM will have the loan forgiven by the St. of Iowa. That is why there are NO telecommuting or contract positions in DBQ GDF. After IBM collects their 30 Million they will GR the hell out of all the GDF jobs! DBQ GDF will become a ghost town. -CDI Drone-

Comment 11/17/09 Do you have any documentation that this is true or this just a "gut feeling" you have? This has been a rumor for quite some time, so unless you have some proof, then why mention it? Shouldn't this section be for those who have heard from a reputable source that something is happening. Not just undocumented rumors. I think we all know by now that it be unrealistic for anyone to think their job is safe and if they are keeping their job just for the severance, then well, good luck to them. Re: Don't be surprised that the next round of RA's in 2010 get less severance (one week of service per year worked). -raleigh ibmer-

Comment 11/15/09 Don't be surprised that the next round of RA's in 2010 get less severance (one week of service per year worked). Without a contract Mr. Joe/Jane Beamer you might not even get a severance! At least with a union contract you can collectively bargain for better severance. -anon-

Comment 11/15/09 Although the sale of the PLM group to Dassault Systemes was mentioned when it was announced in October, the fact that it would add approximately 700 more to the count of ex-IBMers was never stated. Everybody was told they would keep their jobs, at comparable pay and benefits. Whether this actually happens, or is just the carrot on the stick, remains to be seen. The current date for the transition is the end of March. -anon-
Alliance reply: You are correct. Our sources say 682 worldwide. Unsure of US number.

Comment 11/15/09 Yes, -LookingToEscape- , you are correct. If, in addition, you are told to submit all your hours by a certain date, be sure your head will be on the chopping block. Incredible that six months after Black Thursday this uncertainty and fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) is still going on. Know the best way to avoid it? Get a contract. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/14/09 Manager had entire department fill out PBCs early this year because"discussion about evaluations will start in November". I could be wrong, but isn't this usually done later, after the first of the year? This smells of RA discussions... -LookingToEscape-

Comment 11/14/09 -disgusted- wrote: I was RA'd mid-2007, hired back 2 months later as a contractor. Was told last week that 11/30 will be my last day & apparently there's big sub-contractor layoffs going on this month. The very next day, a manager asked me to NOT tell the customer that I am handing over my work to someone in Argentina. I told them that if/when I am asked a direct question by the customer (i.e., "is so-and-so replacing you? You don't need an "assistant!"), I will answer honestly & truthfully and please don't ask me to lie for you. You got it wrong. The manager asked you not to talk about a certain thing. He/she did not ask you to lie. If you chose to burn the bridge and act hostile like this, no wonder companies were so wary of disgruntled employees. You can just simply say, "I am an employee of company xyz, I am here only to take assignments from you, not other matters." Then refer that boss to your contract agency for further policy. Remember, you are a contractor, and the boss could terminate your contract at any time without cause. -Drgunzet-

Comment 11/13/09 Spoke to a few VPs and C execs...some are Sam's right hand man. IBM Research was under the axe in 2006, it may be under consideration again - but the money from patent trolling gives them $1B a year. Its more likely STG, specifically the Semiconductor Development Center, will be carved out in this next round. This means Fishkill and other locations. They would need to find a buyer, likely a private equity one, that bought NTX and AMD's units, so that will not be likely by Jan but it means folks in that group can say good bye to expenses and raises. Companies will put even more of a freeze to make the units more attractive. Remember IBM gets 15-20% of its EPS gains from operational productivity improvements and less than a few points from actual top line growth. As BeanCounter said, Unit acquisitions - divestments make up the rest of the EPS growth. IBM really sucks as a place to work...there is no career there at this point. Good luck!!! strap down now... -GoingDown-

Comment 11/13/09 Layoff and Hiring plans are in being put in place for Q1 in Rational division. Sorry can't share the US location. -LeftAtMyOwnWill-

Comment 11/13/09 -disgusted- Was it an IBM manager asking you not to tell the customer you are being replaced and handing work over to someone in Argentina? If so, IBM managerment is not following contractor labor laws. As a contractor you may have a "dual employer" situation and claim since IBM mangers have been asking IBM EMPLOYEES to say the same thing to customers. If you can prove you are being treated much like an IBM EMPLOYEE you can have your lawyer bring a case against IBM where IBM HR would be forced to hire you as an EMPLOYEE. This is not to say you would want to be an IBM employee though. -anonymous-

Comment 11/13/09 After they mark you, it's a done deal and you are not likely to find another position in the company during your last 30 days (unless you know Sam personally or another high ranking manager). -miss understanding-
Naw, my cousin is SVP , one under Sam and he could not save me. Then again, he's one of the a-holes that started the RA that hit me. -AnoninRTP-

Comment 11/12/09 Hey -disgusted- You dont need to be qualfied for any position in Dubuque. If you're breathing and you can spell the name of the product they want you to work on IBM will hire you. It's not about quality anymore. It's about finding a warm body who will work for peanuts that they're after. The real question is if you're desperate enough to take the position and have to deal with IBM's crap! -disgusted-

Comment 11/12/09 Bold I is primarily about resource actions (employee layoffs) but it also contained a minor unit divestiture component. If you count the IBM operating units sold off, the number is actually very close to the planning number of reduced resources that was envisioned by Armonk. Bold I was also a plan to eliminate the employees left with old pension plan benefits, which when divested off would impact the sales price and create accounting difficulties. Bold II? That's more about operating unit divestitures and spin-offs, with a minor "permanent" component of continuous layoffs, cloaked under the mantra of performance trimming. Now that they've closed the pension and employees are now contained financial expense units with their 401(k)'s, they can be sold off or divested without any remnant financial issues. The big numbers of Bold II aren't about layoffs. They are about selling, closing and spinning off entire IBM operating units. There are even selected IBM executives salivating waiting to be spun off to become their own mini-dictator CEO's. IBM is essentially a financial holding company, it's technological footprint getting smaller and smaller every day. The reason they have concentrated on BI software with the Smart Planet initiative is because that's the only market they plan to keep and can still control! -Quiet Bean Counter-

Comment 11/12/09 Getting vibes that Fishkill is on the block...based on some comments with C and B execs -GoingDown-
Alliance Reply: Please give specifics; if at all possible.

Comment 11/12/09 To ignatz713: your posts keep referring to 16,000 employees who have been let go in 2009. The tally from the Alliance shows 10,425 to-date, plus a number of contractors. Do you have reliable info that about 5,500 contractors got cut? I am asking, not questioning. Thanks. -An onymous-
Alliance Reply: Please continue this discussion on the General Visitors comments section.

Comment 11/12/09 I was RA'd mid-2007, hired back 2 months later as a contractor. Was told last week that 11/30 will be my last day & apparently there's big sub-contractor layoffs going on this month. The very next day, a manager asked me to NOT tell the customer that I am handing over my work to someone in Argentina. I told them that if/when I am asked a direct question by the customer (i.e., "is so-and-so replacing you? You don't need an "assistant!"), I will answer honestly & truthfully and please don't ask me to lie for you. The folks managing the accounts are often the last ones to find out about layoffs & IBM leaves them holding the bag, trying to figure out what to say to the customer to make it not sound as bad. The customer has started asking for onshore people to do certain parts of the work, but IBM doesn't have the people to do it anymore because they've either fired them or moved them to other accounts. And just a few days after telling me that they're getting rid of me, I was asked to work for 2 days straight 24x7 over a weekend. Sorry, but I am not available. You can't have your cake & eat it, too. You don't get to continue to treat people like poo & then expect them to continue to bend over & say "thank you may I have another!" IBM must be desperate to fill open positions in Dubuque, IA because I got an email yesterday asking if I wanted to apply for a SAN administrator job there. Um, I don't think I'm remotely qualified for that...I do project management! -disgusted-

Comment 11/11/09 Rumors in the retail industry abound that the Retail Store Systems unit has been offered up for sale. HP and Fujitsu have turned it down. Management is slowing down to fix bugs and hardware problems. More and more crit sits stay open and customers getting angrier and angrier. Kyrus is looking at buying parts of RSS and letting the rest wither on the dying IBM US vine... -Tire Retail Guy-

Comment 11/11/09 To -just curious- You have to be an employee of record as of 1/31/10 to qualify for the 2009 bonus. I don't recall hearing about a bonus in 2010. Did they make an announcement in March 2009 that they would be offering the plan again? -miss understanding-

Comment 11/11/09 ITD will be affected. Many of the accounts are already in the process of moving to Dubuque or Boulder. Others are moving off-shore. The folks that currently support these customers are at the top of the RA list. Furthermore....If you haven't seen this next move, you'll see it shortly. The folks that occupy the SDM, FAM, DPE and PE positions will begin to move into other jobs. They already know the status of their accounts/jobs and are trying to find a safe haven. If you know your account is moving 'somewhere' find yourself another job. After they mark you, it's a done deal and you are not likely to find another position in the company during your last 30 days (unless you know Sam personally or another high ranking manager). -miss understanding-

Comment 11/11/09 I thought that I read somewhere that the separation date needs to be on or before 12/31/2009 in order for IBM to avoid paying the 2009 bonus. How does this work? -just curious-

Comment 11/11/09 I just heard from a friend who was talking to their manager. There is a HUGE round of layoffs planned for next month and the following quarter. I'm in ITD. Apparently, account reps as well as the management structure are aware of this initiative. Many will be lost to the axe this time around. The decisions have been made. Next step is to execute the plan. Good luck everyone!!! This board is going to be quite busy once again. -am-i-a-goner?-

Comment 11/11/09 >>This will be followed by a HUGE group of permanent US employees in January.

A bigger number than the SIXTEEN THOUSAND FIRED in 2009? Looks like that prediction about the U.S. employees was right on the mark.

>>they have actually named BOLD 2. How brazen and disgusting.

How disgusting indeed. So the SIXTEEN THOUSAND FIRED in 2009 were under BOLD 1? -ignatz713-

Comment 11/10/09 Anon, sorry I have not heard which divisions or groups. Just general but reliable rumors -Fact_Jack-

Comment 11/10/09 Looks like the Rational employee's in Montreal are going to be hit HARD. Not that they contributed much to Rational products anyway. In fact, no one really knows what they did. As for me, I'm just waiting to be RA'd. I just want my big severance check and then do something I've never done in my life - collect unemployment. Considering all the money I've contributed to the government, it's going to be nice getting some of it back while playing Modern Warfare 2. -Droid-

Comment 11/10/09 Layoffs done in 1Q are planned in November of the previous year. They will call it an "exercise". That's why you get rumors now about something that is 3-4 months away. It's in process. At this point, the RA list is chosen. Generally you will see your manager become less available and perhaps more stressed. If your manager distances themselves from you over the next couple months, be warned that you might be on the list. In early January, you should ask your manager if there were any talks about layoffs. You will probably here something like "there was some discussion, but I don't think its going to happen"...which will tell you that it is going to happen. If you really think you might get the axe, my advice would be to minimize your expenditures over the holiday and new year. Reduce your 401k to get max matching and save as much as possible. If you don't get the axe, stick those contributions in a roth. -already gone-

Comment 11/10/09 fact jack & miss understanding: do you know division/groups affected? GBS? HQ? etc... -anon-

Comment 11/09/09 The rumors of impending layoffs are being heard louder! BOLD2 is upon us. Contractors are scheduled to be 'removed' in December. This will be followed by a HUGE group of permanent US employees in January. Buckle your seatbealt, This one is going to cut deep and wide, and hurt both the ones leaving as well as the ones who remain. There are a lot of accounts that were slated to go GR by years end that are behind schedule. It won't matter that the people in BRIC aren't trained. The deadline must be met. People must be cut, and Sam must make his millions. Merry Christmas to all -miss understanding-

Comment 11/09/09 8-10k USibm(BluePig) job cuts 1Q10, confirmed by two seperate people -Fact_Jack-

Comment 11/07/09 link to IBM opening in RTP for a SEPARATIONS EXPERT
https://jobs3.netmedia1.com/cp/job_summary.jsp?job_id=CHQ-0268555&st=6791 -slave2-

Comment 11/06/09 Heard rumors that the Rational products are not selling. There have been a lot of closed door meetings. With the China lab now writing code, I suspect the writing is on the wall for Rational employees in the U.S. -JoeZ-

Comment 11/06/09 Sent to IGS partners today: "Toward the end of November key decisions will be made that will affect resource availability into January 2010. All updates should be completed by Nov 20th to ensure enough time for proper year end planning. After this date, we will make redeployment decisions based on the system roll-off date. At this time, these redeployment decisions will be final and cannot be reversed." -IGS Slave-

Comment 11/06/09 In the UK the Members of Parliament are not happy either and this is doing IBM UK no good:
http://www.politics.co.uk/mps/press-releases/party-politics/liberal-democrats/government-should-boycott-ibm-gidley-$1338842.htm -
Enough is enough-

Comment 11/06/09 I am no longer with IBM, I was RA'd in 2007 and have moved on. I still have a lot of friends working there on contracts that I supported. I would be interested in knowing how IBM is performing on its support contracts. It might be too much to ask, but is there any way that a comments section could be created where reports of contract performance could be posted? -Gone-2007-
Alliance Reply: Not likely. I would recommend contacting your friends and former co-workers, and asking them, first. A comments section for that specific content; would not necessarily be very active, on a weekly basis. Why not simply post it in the general visitors comments section? Alliance@IBM frequently receives reports and inside IBM information from several sources. All of them frequent this comments' section and the general visitors comments' section as well.

Comment 11/05/09 The SSR dispatch move to Manila, and wherever else, so far has been a disaster and it's still not completely swapped over until 11/6 or so. -Quimby-

Comment 11/04/09 -notnifbutawhen-, at which location and division and when is this "BOLD 2" RA to occur????? -Location_Please-

Comment 11/02/09 Heard about a new RA coming this AM, that they have actually named BOLD 2. How brazen and disgusting. Counting the days... have joined the Alliance but feel completely hopeless about this and am focusing my energy on outside opps. Why would anyone want to stick around after this? For me, IBM benefits are outweighed by the complete disregard for their own values. As soon as I can find something else I'm out of here. I'm surely gone anyway so using this time to take care of myself and my family. -notnifbutawhen-

Comment 10/28/09 To: -MyNumberIsUp- When I was RA'd in 07, I applied for a half dozen jobs I was well qualified for. One I got a rejection notice for, the other 5 did not even respond within the 30 days. My manager would not even bother to answer my emails for help. When you have your 30 day notice you are DONE! You are marked and nobody will touch you. The only way to be treated fairly during a layoff is to have a UNION! Otherwise, you are an "at will" employee, and they can and will do whatever they want to you at will. UNION is the only possible way to survive in this executive greedy company. -Gone_in_07-

Comment 10/27/09 Hey Joe...you are so right about Dubuque. IBM is having problems hiring. We just had a few people from our group go out to train them. They don't know the products at ALL!!!They have been hired out of college. If they were able to look at the screen, could use the keyboard and mouse and were able to read they were hired. Now we are sending people from our group out to train them on the very products they will be supporting. I guess 4 months from now, IBM will consider them fully trained and lay off my department. I'm just flabberghasted that IBM wants the cheapest and youngest they can get to fill these positions, with no regard as to how they will actually get the work done. IBM deserves what it gets. This is no way to run a business. But heck what do I know, I'm one of the peons that will be fired soon after working here for over 2 decades. -dun-4-

Comment 10/27/09 http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/dassault-takes-ibm-unit-for-600-million
Dassault Takes I.B.M Unit for $600 Million
October 27, 2009, 6:37am
Dassault Systèmes, the French technology firm, has inked a $600 million deal to acquire part of I.B.M.’s sales and customer support unit. -Anon-

Comment 10/27/09 Another dumping of employees on the horizon. Dassault Systemes and IBM Announce Intent to Integrate IBM PLM Sales Operation into DS http://www.3ds.com/company/news-media/press-releases-detail/release/-94cf2faf1d/single/2320/?cHash=1eedbcc1cd -BlueBlows-

Comment 10/27/09 I continue to receive recruiter emails regarding positions at the Dubuque GDF. The latest message lists 35 openings in Unix support alone. While pushing experienced workers out the door, it seems that IBM is having trouble hiring in new people at very low wages, even with the lowered qualifications that they are seeking. It makes me wonder if job cuts are just on hold until IBM completes staffing the GDFs. -Joe-

Comment 10/26/09 To Young Lady, first, thanks. However, I was never rated a 3, never, and still I was RA'ed. I believe that many more 2+ and 2 employees are RA'ed, than the few employees who are ever rated a 3. Is this different from your experience? -toyounglady-

Comment 10/26/09 To Young Lady, EVERYONE needs to be concerned about being RA'd. It is not just 3 performers being targeted. I was a solid 2+ and a 1 performer and still got cut. They also don't need a reason to RA someone, they just do what they want. Remember, AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -RA'd in April-

Comment 10/26/09 heard last week that more U.S. & Canada ITD job roles moving into GDF dubuque within 20 weeks. while transition / relocating to dubuque could be an option for some. no company moving expense is being offered. hearing local dubuque college students being hired to fill certain jobs. 200 jobs affected? -well informed-

Comment 10/25/09 Have heard comments that some are being told to expect bad news at the end of year in regards to PBC. They had worked hard all year and suspect this is a way to continue the slow form of RA via 3's. Exit time for two 3's in a row is generally at end of first quarter and before start of second quarter. Anyone being told to expect bad results at end of this year and do not have a prior three should get very busy looking for a job. Once that three evaluation is given, it is almost impossible to find a job. -Young Lady-

Comment 10/25/09 Options.? You have only 2.
1.Organize and have an employment contract or
2. Take whatever IBM decides to give you wherever they decide to give it to you. Options indeed. -Exodus2007-

Comment 10/25/09 Indiana's human services chief says the state does not anticipate laying off any private or public caseworkers as it switches to a new welfare delivery system. (SEE THE BUT) But Anne Murphy told the State Budget Committee Friday there will be changes at call centers currently operated by an IBM Corp.-led group once the company's contract ends Dec. 14. Gov. Mitch Daniels fired IBM last week for poor service. -anon-

Comment 10/25/09 Q: "I want to be done 30 days from now to take my money and run (for a better job)".
Will you still receive your package? Or they make you to forfeit the package if you decline the extension?
A: The RA terms are set by IBM and your management. If you leave before your extension you forfeit the offered severance package since leaving before fulfilling the terms set forth in the RA package for you by IBM management was not satisfied. Leaving before the extension is up is considered voluntarily termination. -da_facts-

Comment 10/25/09 P.S. I am curious though. Do you have an option to say, "I don't want to be extended, I want to be done 30 days from now to take my money and run (for a better job)". Will you still receive your package? Or they make you to forfeit the package if you decline the extension? Just curious, you know... -Drgunzet-
-Drgunzet-: about your P.S. R U serious? IBM doesn't negotiate these things! When you get RA'ed they state and control the terms totally! -anon-

Comment 10/24/09 Comment 10/09/09: System x / Blade servers R&D work was moved to Taiwan, not sure how many US jobs was affected when this took place. -Zion-
This is so sad. My friend and his entire site of 500 were laid off by HP earlier this year in Vancouver, WA. The designed were moved to main land China. So, it appears to me that hardware development are being off-shored to China/Taiwan, and software developement are being off-shored to India. All big US companies seem to follow this pattern. The only way to find jobs is to look for the government or small companies (below 100 employees). -Drgunzet-

Comment 10/24/09 Comment 10/23/09: If you get RAed you are told you have 30 days to find something else in IBM. But I can tell you, if you are on the RA list, and you post for a job in IBM here is what happens.
1) Hiring Manager must look at resources in their group/division first
2) would then consider resources not on RA list outside their group/division next and then
3) can only look at RAed employees if they can't find someone from the first 2 groups mentioned. So you can forget it - I've wasted my time looking and being interviewed (even got an offer, but internal IBM barred the transfer and now the role is filled). There are just too many internal hurdles. If you get selected, and are on the RA list, then that Manager will have to go before the RA board to get approval to let you fill the slot. Its virtually hopeless. -MyNumberIsUp-

1) is accurate.
2) is accurate.
3) is inacurate. Since you were extended, you got barred for a transfer.
4) if you are not extended, and got a job offer, your current group will not bar you against the transfer. I know a guy who was RAed the same time with me on 3/27. He was not extended and was not barred against a transfer.
It is logical for IBM to retain local talents if they can transfer head counts among the groups. I know it's hard since I could not find any offer. :) But the system is very logical. You just need to know and play along.
P.S. I am curious though. Do you have an option to say, "I don't want to be extended, I want to be done 30 days from now to take my money and run (for a better job)". Will you still receive your package? Or they make you to forfeit the package if you decline the extension? Just curious, you know... -Drgunzet-

Comment 10/23/09 To MyNumberIsUp.... you are absolutely right, same thing happened to me. However, I do know of one person who was able to stay..... that person has unique, very specific industry skills, is in Sales/Business Development, and makes over $200K. So much for the rest of us but I just wanted to point that out. Everyone on an RA time clock......contact Right Management who whatever firm you are given to get your resume updated. It took me weeks because I had only ever been in IBM, never had a good, commercial (outside IBM) resume. Start beefing up your contacts on LinkedIn.. because you will probably need someone on the inside to help move your resume to the right person, at the least. Don't waste time..... or, if nothing else, spend it on the recuperation period from the shock and depression you are experiencing. Everyone else...this is true. At this point you have nothing to lose if you join the union and everything to gain. When the dirt comes out on Moffatt and any others in IBM tied to him, the stock is going to drop more and they will look at more cuts. Protect yourself. Don't just JOIN the union, make it a point to make sure at least 5-10 others you work with KNOW about Alliance and get them to JOIN. That's all I have to say about THAT. -Silly Willy-

Comment 10/23/09 If you get RAed you are told you have 30 days to find something else in IBM. But I can tell you, if you are on the RA list, and you post for a job in IBM here is what happens.
1) Hiring Manager must look at resources in their group/division first
2) would then consider resources not on RA list outside their group/division next and then
3) can only look at RAed employees if they can't find someone from the first 2 groups mentioned. So you can forget it - I've wasted my time looking and being interviewed (even got an offer, but internal IBM barred the transfer and now the role is filled). There are just too many internal hurdles. If you get selected, and are on the RA list, then that Manager will have to go before the RA board to get approval to let you fill the slot. Its virtually hopeless. -MyNumberIsUp-

Comment 10/23/09 Ref RTP rehiring. Insist on full back pay and continuity on your service time. As IBM made a mistake make them compensate you fairly and then some. They would do that AND pay a return bonus to an executive. Sammy got a bonus for taking the CEO position even though he was already an employee. Get yours too if you choose to go back. Join the Alliance and get your Alliance polo shirts to wear to work also. Unless you get a contract you know its only temporary so get what you can upfront. -Exodus2007-

Comment 10/22/09 Once again rumors at IBM always tend to become true! On Wednesday another round ~ 250 manufacturing employee’s at the East Fishkill NY facility were told that their jobs were being phase out and that they only had a 30 day conditional period to find another job within IBM. Major problem is that there are few jobs if any that most candidates can qualify for .. Now it’s just a waiting game before you are finally shown the front door! -Fleeing a Sinking Ship!-

Comment 10/22/09 What state(s) is EIT (Old IBM Microelectronics)? Where layoffs are? -anonymous-
Alliance Reply: New York state. Actually, Endicott, NY -- the birthplace of IBM. EIT and its parent company (Huron Associates) purchased the IBM Endicott site in the fall 2002. There are still IBMers working there, as part of a lease back agreement between IBM and Huron.
Endicott Iinterconnect Technologies also has sister plants in China and the state of California, USA.

Comment 10/22/09 Re IBM RTP rehiring people RA'ed. I hope everyone offered to be rehired tells IBM to F' off. Or better yet, take the job but don't do any work, wait for then to fire you again. Be subversive. -anon-

Comment 10/22/09 Hearing EIT (Old IBM Microelectronics) is layign up to 400 off today... -RA'd-
Alliance Reply: Our sources tell us, that 3 people were laid-off today, at EIT. So far, EIT workers are working overtime because too many were laid off the last time and there are not enough people to do the work (what little they have). About a month ago they laid-off 48 people.. Only maintenance and indirects. Please send anymore information to: Contact Us or ibmunionalliance@gmail.com

Comment 10/21/09 Just heard that IBM RTP is starting to rehire employees let go in the January and April layoffs. It is not many, just a very few, but it looks like they realize they cut too deep in some areas. These re-hires are full time and salaried. -SadButTrue-

Comment 10/21/09 I am part of the April RA list but allowed to complete my contract that expired Oct 2009. -Anonymous-

Comment 10/21/09 Just heard that SO will be laying more people off. Contracters are first. -maybejobless-

Comment 10/20/09 Got notice on 8/4/09 - to be effective 9/3/09, got an extension until 12/18/09 because of special nature of my role at client site - will not have to handoff to someone else, all offers of IBM jobs have been met with blocked transfers between divisions and blocked between direct/indirect roles. They lie when they say you can find something. So if this is you, run, don't walk to the nearest exit and don't forget to slam the door when you leave. -MyNumberIsUp-

Comment 10/16/09:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20091016/NEWS01/91016014/Major-IBM-exec-charged-in-insider-trading-case
One of the wealthiest men in America and a top IBM Corp. executive were among six financially influential people arrested by federal authorities Friday in a hedge fund insider trading case that prosecutors say reaped more than $20 million in illegal profits.
Robert Moffat, 53, of Ridgefield, Conn., senior vice president and group executive at IBM Corp.’s Systems and Technology Group, was among those charged. That IBM group is the one that oversees the plants in Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill. A separate criminal complaint in the case said Moffat and another defendant conspired to engage in insider trading in the securities of IBM. -Anon-

Comment 10/16/09:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20091016/BUSINESS01/910160344/1012/business01/Earnings-rise-18--in-3Q-on-cost-cuts -POKey-

Comment 10/16/09:
"..IBM on track to take out $1B shared services and back office support globally across all business segments.."
"..IBM will realize $3.5B in cost and expense savings from actions taken.." Nothing obfuscated here: more job cuts have happened and will happen in USA and Canada. http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20091015/BUSINESS01/910150328/1012 -sby_willie-

Comment 10/15/09:
Canada
100 cuts
Toronto/Edmonton/Calgary
ITS/SSO -JustAnotherNumber-

Comment 10/15/09: Just finished speaking with a contracting recruiter for IBM, they are stuffing the contractor furlough hours into the onboarding process instead of suffering through hour cuts right when they start. Screwing contractors out of pay who have not even started working yet(!) Talking to IBM was a waste of time. Inconceivable! -Anonymous-

Comment 10/09/09: I heard from a very reliable source close to John Ditoro that the BTV site days are numbered. IBM has not invested in state of the art tool at this site for years and can't wait to sell it. Another round of layoffs will happen around the 1st of the year. Look for 500-1000 IBMers to be shown the door. Layoffs to be announced in January. -BTVer-

Comment 10/09/09: System x / Blade servers R&D work was moved to Taiwan, not sure how many US jobs was affected when this took place. -Zion-

Comment 10/08/09: Did anyone else see this: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9130750/Patent_filing_describes_IBM_s_new_offshoring_math
A patent for offshoring! How arrogant! -Gone-n-Happy-
Alliance Reply: Yes. this article appeared in March 30th 2009. IBM has bee working on this for a few years. Disgusting ain't it?

Comment 10/07/09: I was at a meeting yesterday where the mgrs were talking about going thru a cost take-out exercise. (I'm in ITD). Usually that means they're going through the department list and determine who they will fire next. I guess this is either for the end of the year or 1st quarter 2010 -dun-4-

Comment 10/07/09: State government and IBM are 2 different entities. One is short on funds because of corporate job cuts and rampant outsourcing to the 3rd world. The other is Fortune 500 with record profits even in a recession. I feel sorry for all affected by hours being cut but let's keep the focus on the culprit of state fiscal crisis - corporate malfeasance. 25-years-and-shaky -Anonymous-

Comment 10/06/09: Nothing for certain at IBM E. Fishkill NY. Hearing from a reliable source that a another round of head count reductions ~ 240 are coming at the end of December / early January 2010 time frame. So goes it for their New York State site commitment for full employment -Here we go again!-

Comment 10/06/09: regarding the job hourly cuts - No one likes this, but you realize it isn't just IBM or private companies. I have a friend who works for a state university that they are forcing them to do the same, to reduce costs. -anonymous-

Comment 10/05/09: I hope this will be helpful to those who may have lost a job recently:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091004/ap_on_bi_ge/us_good_jobs_unfilled

To those still at Big Blue... hope you guys form a union to protect your rights, someday! -Long Gone & Happy About It...-

Comment 10/04/09: The reason for reducing hours and not cutting some contractors is to show we have x amount of employees in the US/Canada. Looks better if they reduce hours than reduce people. IBM sucks. Find a local company you'll be better off. -whatever-

Comment 10/01/09: IBM saved 4.2 million dollars by having the contractors take 10 days off. It worked so well the first time, they're doing it again. -dun-4-

Comment 10/01/09: Re: What is the rationale for cutting contractor hours? Seriously?
You're trying to rationalize anything IBM is doing? Ok, fine - I'm sure IBM crunched the numbers and since contractors don't get benefits, it's purely an issue of how much they're costing via their rate. I'm sure IBM found that they're saving a lot more reducing their hours by 10% than try to find 1 out of every 10 contractors to let go. Most contractors I work with are actually pretty highly skilled and would be detrimental to their accounts if they left. Remember, all IBM's decisions only make relatively good sense from an extreme short term point of view - efforts to make the numbers for THAT quarter. Customer Satisfaction is going to tank in 2010/2011 - offshore teams simply can not support the work being dumped on them. -anonymous-

Comment 10/01/09: Election Day (11/3/09) is fast approaching again. Make it know to your electable officials that IBM is not helping the USA economy by hiring USA workers! IBM says they are hiring, but they are RAing hundreds and thousands more. Let your electable officials know that IBM DESERVES NO USA STIMULUS $$$! I really hope that US Congress and Obama will finally listen. USA IBM employment is down no matter how much Armonk wants to spin it. You trolls and IBM union busters, and maybe Sam's AA's who spy illegally on this site, prove you are telling the truth and growing USA IBM employment and prove me wrong! IBM is selling out the USA and their USA employees (unless you are an EXECUTIVE IBM employee)!!! -no_stimulation-

Comment 09/29/09: IBMs’s CEO Sam Palmisano is the Biggest Outsourcer of US Jobs Out of The Country
http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/ibms%E2%80%99s-ceo-sam-palmisano-is-the-biggest-outsourcer-of-us-jobs-out-of-the-country/
-Anonymous-

Comment 09/29/09: What is the rationale for cutting contractor hours? Wouldn't it be better to cut some contractors and leave the rest working full time? Or is management actually trying to piss off as many people as they can before abandoning the US completely? -anon-

Comment 09/28/09: Tish, thanks for the heads up on the offshoring. What is wrong with this arrogant greedy IBM CEO called Samuuel Palmisano? Why does he want to offshore all of our jobs? I went to college and got my degree to call myself a professional and be proud to work for IBM.I am trying to raise my family and put food on the table. Now Samuel wants me to train my offshore replacement and eliminate my job? Piss on Samuel. Samuel can go to Hell. Please, for all you fence sitters, join the Alliance and Support a Union to protect our jobs. -Alliance Supporter-
Alliance Reply: For future reference: Please send this kind of content to the General Visitors Comments section. This comment section is for reporting Job Cuts location, number and date information. Thank you for your continued support.

Comment 09/28/09: Anybody hearing anything about looming cuts in Canada? SWG? -lurker-
Alliance Reply: And what do YOU have to report? What have YOU heard?

Comment 09/28/09: CDI has also notifed that a 10% reduction in work hours is required from 4 October through 31 December. It also says that management will arrange it to avoid customer impact, but management doesn't do anything to make it happen that way. 10% on top of a 13% direct cut in rates. Other, less-profitable companies are already restoring cut wages. IBM? It is to laugh. As another said, karma, baby, karma. -CDI Drone-

Comment 09/28/09: Canada: all our contractors have been told they are not allowed to claim O.T for Q4 2009. They are to dump the work on perm staff. Additionally, contractors will likely be asked to take 1-4 days off per month. Making their standard week only 32 hours.
I'm sure on the next renewals they will be asked to take ANOTHER 10% cut..might aswell work for free. -DM-

Comment 09/28/09: We received this memo on 9/23/2009. CDT is the support group for our test environment.
"To our valued CDT customers; In order to comply with IBM's Global Delivery strategy, we are undergoing a transition from our CDT support staff in Toronto, Canada, to our Global partners in India and Brazil. While we have been integrating a Global Delivery strategy for several years now, this will mark an aggressive shift, as we plan to complete the transition of Server Management, Middleware and DB2 by the end of November 2009. I'd like to reassure you that every effort is being made to ensure this transition is seamless. We have extensive knowledge transfer schedules with our Global partners, in an effort to mitigate any impact to you, our trusted and valued customers. In the coming weeks and months you will see the Global Teams beginning to take a more prominent role in your day to day support. While our staff may be changing, our commitment to customer service and delivery excellence remains unchanged. These decisions are made at the Service Delivery Competency level, not by the Account teams. As the IBM Global Account is to be the model for a holistic approach that seeks new and different methods to make our business more effective and efficient and to build stronger linkages through our world-wide interactions, we are confident this transformation will benefit IBM and our customers." -Tish-

Comment 09/28/09: Round 2 of "Screw the contractor" are starting. Just received an email from my contract company that stating Oct 4th I'm to further reduce my hours by 10% again! Back in May 09 we had to reduce hours by 20% until June 15th. Back at the start of 2009 we had our rates cut by 10% and just recently was "called across the carpet" for claiming more than 5 hours OT. I was told by manager that working OT was "unfair to others in the department". I was specifically told that NO detrimental impact was to occur on my accounts due to the reduction in hours. And that ANY reduction of hours WAS NOT TO BE DISCUSSED WITH ANY IBM CLIENTS!! Got screwed back in 2007 by LEAN and was stupid enough to take another contract with IBM. Those@ the 50K foot level have their “Bonus Blinders” on again.. -WithoutaKiss-

Comment 09/28/09: Today AT&T informs dozens of former IBM Network Services employees (Project Bluesky) that they are now "surplus workers" as their job is being moved overseas and have 60days to find a job within AT&T or get laid off. Sound familiar??? Will any IT jobs be left in the US after IBM/AT&T/EDS/CSC/Perot get through with us? Organize now b4 its too late! -BeingITsucks-

Comment 09/28/09: Just found out IBM will be cutting contrator hours 10/04/09 - 12/31/09. It will not affect all accounts but it is happening nationally -Merry Christmas-

Comment 09/27/09: "First they came for the disk drive unit, and I did not speak out-because I was not in the storage group; Then they came for the PC business and I did not speak out—because I was not in the PC division; Then they came for the commercial printer operation, and I did not speak out—because I was not in printing systems; Then they came for American jobs, and I did not speak out—because I lived in fear of losing mine; Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out." -Joe Punchclock-
Alliance Reply: Please continue this particular discussion in General Visitor Comments. It has become less representative of Job Cuts Reports.

Comment 09/26/09: re: sudden 15 min meetings - guys, each dept manager has to 1) inform the RA people they are RA'd and then 2) tell the others they are OK but that some in the dept were RA'd. In any case, it's a shame it goes on. Imagine what 17,000 irate, hurt, betrayed, etc. people could do to your companies reputation - the old addage goes 'one angry customer will tell 10 people while one happy customer may tell 3.' Karma baby, karma. IBM will get what they deserve, the greedy millionaire leadership. On a different note.... I sent 10 emails from the new automated site to 10 @us.ibm.com email addresses. I fear that IBM has already stopped these emails from Alliance as spam. Ya think? -Silly Willy-

Comment 09/25/09: to Tiel "Comment 09/24/09: Manager scheduled a meeting with no warning. He has never done that before. Wish me luck. 14 years with IBM -Tiel-"
That is how it happens. When it happened to me, two other of my office mates received the same meeting invitation. We all started
instant messaging, ... when is yours...mine is at 10:30..oh yours is at 10:45 etc. Curious that all of the meetings were 15 minutes long.
All of the meetings were the manager saying the same thing, probably reading from a script he got from HR. They make a pretense of telling you flaky reasons (needs of the business, etc) but really you just sit there because you get 3 minutes at the end, when they ask "do you have any questions".
Even if you have questions they won't be answered. Sometimes you are told a date that will be your last date; sometimes you are just told to start looking for work. What really is awful though is at the same time there is usually more work to do than people to do it and they keep hiring offshore. You find this out because you are then told to train these offshore newbies. I used to care alot about IBM, had lots of pride. They killed it in me. -a GR-

Comment 09/25/09: 39 people, moved to AT&T 2008, will be set free this year. -Anonymous-

Comment 09/25/09: Anyone know if the Hardware Remote Support Centers (RSC) are part of the offshoring program? If so, this is going to be disastrous for IBM, the field force and the clients who use these centers for level 1 support. -quimby-

Comment 09/24/09: I'm an IBM UK employee. Today every at&t employee I know (who were until recently IBM colleagues) were made redundant, tp leave on 31/10/2009. They got an email Tuesday evening saying that some redundancies were due, a letter through the post Wednesday to say they were on a provisional list, and a phone call today (Thursday) telling them they had been made redundant. We have no network people left at our site now, rumour is at&t have outsourced the work (but the the people) to NCR -Anonymous-

Comment 09/24/09: Not only is IBM going to off-shore most of the helpdesks, their next move is to stop people from calling the helpdesk entirely. (Especially US workers). Right now, if you call the ibm-help number and ask for help, you will also receive a nastygram from support. It basically states you are only to call the helpdesk if your workstation is not functioning or have a blue screen, if IT Central is not available or you are offline and have already used MyHelp. They are trying to transition to a web-based support model. Pretty soon, the helpdesk functions will be the modern day equivalent to a sweat-shop. Keep pulling those tickets GR workers. Ensure you make your on-going quotas of tickets pulled per hour. (We don't care if you actually provide a helpful response to the customer, just that you have a certain number of tickets closed per hour), In return, we'll reward you handsomely with an extra cent a week pay increase. -there-has-to-be-something-better-than-this-

Comment 09/24/09: Manager scheduled a meeting with no warning. He has never done that before. Wish me luck. 14 years with IBM -Tiel-

Comment 09/23/09: DANGER WILL ROBINSON - spoke to a Level 3 person and some items are coming down in Oct/Nov and rest in Jan after alignments and expirations are done on some accounts. They have already set up Bangalore Resources for take over on many items for most SA's right now and the call centers are going to be transitioned completed out of North America by March 10 to offshore. The 17,000 number for RA'd is set in stone and for the 10Q reports to show better performance going into next year. Also stated that the Philippines call center has been getting higher marks from clients than the Bangalore site and the call center switches are going to be used there for mostly IBM NA support lines. Hope this info helps everyone else still holding down the crazy time at blueworld. -IBM UC'd-

Comment 09/23/09: Potential RA candidate names were due into IBM/HR on 9/15/09 for the Software Group(SWG). Large (but stealth) cut to commence this Fall after product shipment(GM) and projects completes. -Fact_Jack-

Comment 09/23/09: AT&T is asking IBM (account by account) for permission to move the jobs of the hundreds of former IBM Network Services employees that went to AT&T be moved to foreign workers. Putting hundreds of AT&T (former IBM employees) in the unemployement line. Judy Miller and John Walsh (former IBM execs)are leading this effort to kill American jobs. -OutsideLookingIn-

Comment 09/23/09: This is my last day at IBM. I was informed of being RA'ed the day I came back from being on IBM short term disability for various medical issues. I sincerely hope no one else has to get RA'ed in this IBM. PLEASE do yourself a favor: do not keep your collective heads in the sand and think your employment in this IBM is safe. YOU can do something to protect yourself. Get some job protection. Get a union contract. If you continue to do nothing, nothing good will happen. My only true regret is I was not able to be an IBM employee in a collective bargaining w/contract unionized IBM. -sby_willie-

Comment 09/22/09: >Was informed that most face to face IT Specialist full time at large corporate customer accounts will be reduce to one day a week and the remaining 4 days will be covered from India,
Sounds like the kiss of death for Endicott GR. I hope they read here. -anonymouse-

Comment 09/22/09: All this talk about a skills assessment reminds me of rumors back in the mass tech layoffs of of 2001 and onwards. Several people on boards I was also on mentioned being canned after being told to list their skill sets to "put into peoplesoft." Not right away, a few months afterwards. I realized with a shock that I had also faced the same request. I think they may be using your own words against you. Most people confronted with such an inventory miss a lot of good about themselves. Anyone already do this and have a report? -barb-

Comment 09/21/09: Was informed that most face to face IT Specialist full time at large corporate customer accounts will be reduce to one day a week and the remaining 4 days will be covered from India, new IBM strategy will be implimented sometime in 2010 to eliminate a number of IT Specialist in NA by spreading IT Specialist over multiple account one day a week, sure it will be extended to other roles / geo's in the company if this plan works by saving IBM money thru reducing head-counts and using cheaper Global Resource labor to cover corporate America... just a matter of time before I'll be joining the unemployment line... -ZION-

Comment 09/20/09: According to one strategy expert, IBM has missed the boat by laying off people...
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/winston/2009/09/fire-energy-use-and-waste-not.html -annonymous-
If the strategy was long term one, what is mentioned in that article makes sense. These days, the only thing that matters is what the earnings will be for the quarter to help drive up stock price so the execs can cash in their shares. Nothing else really matter -Gettin-Hosed-

Comment 09/19/09: Just got through talking with some PM's through a meeting for PDU's the other night and things just got more interesting. Talked to one who normally is near a GDF and this person told me, they are the only one talking to clients, and all the resources have names with more than 5 syllables. Additionally this person has been told to never let these resources talk too much for fear of alienating the client as well as telling them that these resources are ALL in the US to get compliance; when only 2 in 38 are here. Even their Sametime is changed to reflect this. This person related the story of Program Managers wanting to eat up budget costs by trying to hold out services committed to, in SOW's as extra items so that they can bill. Meant to show as a big improvement in GNP%. Added to that the word about the lower costs for PM's is getting worse, heard AT&T was getting news of IBM efforts and prepare to start seeing the postings for PMs and Snr PMs to go down in rates fast! -IBM UC'd-

Comment 09/19/09: IBM advises CIO's how to deal with Baby Boomers by 'investing in global resources in countries with lower average age........
http://slashdot.org/

"Robert X. Cringely offers his take on IBM's patent-pending way to suck knowledge out of experts and inject it into younger, stronger, cheaper employees, possibly even in other countries. IBM's 'Platform for Capturing Knowledge' relies on immersive 3-D gaming environments to transfer expert knowledge held by employees 'aged 50 and older' to 18-25 year-old trainees, even those who find manuals 'difficult to read and understand.' It jibes nicely with an IBM White Paper (PDF) that advises CIOs to deal with Baby Boomers by 'investing in global resources from geographies with a lower average age for IT workers, such as India or China.' While Cringely isn't surprised that Big Blue's anyone-can-manage-anything, anyone-should-be-able-to-perform-any-job culture would spawn such an 'invention,' he can't help but wonder: When you get rid of the real experts, who is going to figure out the new stuff?" -Anon-

Comment 09/18/09: IBM says they are hiring and has added jobs in the USA. Sure. So why are there less USA IBM employees now according to Bluepages compared to last year? http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219501449
If IBM is transparent about the job cuts then why can't IBM produce a number of the RA's that have taken place this year? IBM is hiding the real truth. Let's call them out on this once and for all. -anonymous-

Comment 09/18/09: Open warning to IBM execs - I am an ex-employee of 13 years - client consuting and internal projects. I know how you'll work - and you'll are bidding for a contract at my current company - you watch how I undermine your efforts and swing this Accenture's way. This is Karma. Not monetarily, maybe, but there are thousands Americans whose life's who have ruined - and these people wish upon you the sheer frustration of being helpless. Had the sheeple had any brain, they would have organized against you - but what goes around - does come around. Can't defy universal laws of nature. Sheeple - fill out skill assessments and participate in the butchering - ha ha - chicken in a coop participiating in who gets picked first - ah the irony of it. Lee - watch this one happen - 9/24/2009. -MN-

Comment 09/18/09: According to one strategy expert, IBM has missed the boat by laying off people...
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/winston/2009/09/fire-energy-use-and-waste-not.html -annonymous-

Comment 09/18/09: Just some anecdotal evidence that supports IBM UC'd comments - I've seen on many job boards postings looking for PMs based in India, and on further reading, can see that they are for US (and other not-just-in-India) projects, and the rates are pretty low. Nothing scientific in this study, nor do I have numbers, but looking at LinkedIn groups and other jobs sites, and Yahoo industry groups where people will post for applicants, it is very obvious that UC'd's comments are spot on. In the bigger picture, be afraid; be very afraid - not just for IBM or you in IBM, but the global marketplace and jobs in general in the near future. -RAed in Jan-

Comment 09/18/09: Here we go again, end of month RA's. I just got the call from my manager. I am on the line and will see if
I make the cut this time. I am a US PM in SO -Still Ducking-

Comment 09/18/09: Friends, Romans and Countrymen, hate to tell you this but the number of 17,000 RA'd by end of 2009 is confirmed again - this time by FOUR direct level 2 and 3 people, these will happen and plan on it for the 10Q release.
Additionally to match job savings IBM has had such horrible performance from the Bangalore site to US customers, they are trying to hire back PM's especially. But don't get your hopes up - the main sources for this are going to be contractors and especially ones out of India (Artech comes to mind). Additionally the subject of many HR/tier 1 discussions has been the notice that many people were laid off over a year ago and the benefits for UI are up so people are more desperate - guess what IBM has figured out to do? Cut the rates by half, NOT KIDDING - across many positions the funding for positions are cut and the vendors are out trying to get $ 25 -35 hr for certified Project Managers with PMP certificates. Two people shared their emails with me on this and heard it is going to be bad for anyone who goes back to big Blue as well as for other companies are starting to notice the spike of pay dropping. Glad I am employed right now and just led an effort to dump Tivoli Maximo in favor of HP, giving them a $2M contract. Don't they even realize that people they get are going to jump the second an offer is a bit higher or the HR costs for getting people who obviously WILL NOT BE HAPPY to be there and show it? This is reading like a copy of Ayn Rand right now and scary... Another note, IBM has now become the largest vendor in Indian IT services Market, guess the 6B site helped with the push to get employees recruited on site. -IBM UC'd-

Comment 09/17/09: "For those questioning the source of 4-5K Layoffs, something telling?"
The IBM skill assessments alway precede a layoff. Here is how it works. You submit your skills, management reviews the surveys, and decided who they want and need for the business. I've seen this happen first hand twice at IBM. The layoffs follow 6 months to a year after the skill assessment. This is nothing new at IBM and does indicate job cuts are coming. IBM managers will weed out the employees and keep the ones they need to move the business forward. -IBMer-

Comment 09/17/09: GBS Division - witch hunt for layoff candidates has started. Reports being disseminated for those not 100% billable at present. This is in addition to Bench Mgt Program. -anonymous-

Comment 09/17/09: IBM just announced hiring of 240 employees at the Essex Plant in VT. Of course they'll be brand new hires at the bottom of the payscale. There should be a law that makes IBM offer new jobs to the people that were layed off first. They've had multiple layoff at the VT plant over the year and now hiring. Makes sense: get rid of higher paid workers and hire fresh recruits at the bottom of the scale. Also note: IBM is quick to announce 240 new hires. However when it comes to layoffs, they don't have those numbers. I don't think they can go much lower now. -Anonymous-

Comment 09/15/09: I keep forgetting to reference the "Job Cut Survival Guide" under the "Job Cuts" section on the left nav column. (not comments). Sorry guys. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 09/14/09: Some folks are getting nervous about future job cuts.
You might review my previous comments (advice) in the JOB CUT archive2 dated 5/12/08. Be prepared even if nothing happens. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 09/14/09: -sby_willie- Opt in the current IBM Call Center Law suit:
http://stephanzouras.com/ibmcallcenterovertime/documents/NOTICE.FINAL.pdf protect yourself. -Anonymous-

Comment 09/14/09: Well, the Bench Management Program is ramping up. I just got notified that I have four weeks to get off the bench. No firm indication as to the consequences of not doing so, but I think we all know where this is leading... -anon-

Comment 09/12/09: Recent posts having nothing to do with specific job cuts. Should be in general comments. -anonlymous-
Alliance Reply: ok, fair enough. What posts, below should be moved to General Comments? Send me your response: Webmaster

Comment 09/12/09: I'm not an IBM employee and probably never will be but the letter from your CIO seems to tell me that this Talent Study is going to be a weeding out tool for the IBM workforce. -anonymous-

Comment 09/12/09: "...By taking time to complete this process, you can open up new IBM career opportunities by enhancing your skill level based on your assessment..."
WTF. ...new IBM career opportunities? Having increased skills in IBM doesn't mean ANY career development in this IBM for the overwhelming majority of the employees since management doesn't know the skill sets needed since most management now are technical dummies. Mr Pat "dull Toole in the box" is clearly talking out of both sides of his mouth! Go ahead folks do this new but not improved flavor of skills assessment and give the CIO's henchmen more rope. They will not tie you up with but might snuggly fit it for your neck soon though. -anonymous-

Comment 09/12/09: "You should count yourself as fortunate to have not been selected as one of the over 20,000 U.S. employees eliminated in 2009, and if you wish to have any hope of remaining with IBM throughout 2010 you must prove every day that you can compete and are competitive in a global marketplace. In all honesty, on a global basis you are grossly overpaid, so it would behoove you to ensure you are working at least 60 hours per week, foregoing as much vacation time as possible, and not expecting an increase or (worse yet) a promotion that would simply make you a target for the next round of reductions. Even then, if we determine that we can easily shift your work to someone half as skilled who lives in a 'low labor cost' country such as India, China, Brazil, or Pakistan, then we will give you at least 30 days notice so you can begin making plans to work elsewhere -- and, rest assured, will offer you the same option (via Project Match) that we offered the IBMers 'resourced' during the past year to relocate to one of these other countries where you could, at local wages, once again become 'competitive' with others in the global market. Thank you for your loyalty at a time when you know you are not valued, and you know we are aggressively looking for ways to eliminate your U.S. based position."

I drafted the statement above as a suggested, no-holds-barred, brutally honest introduction to the 2010 Base Pay Planning Cycle for U.S based employees. I wrote this after having spent nearly 25 years with IBM, with over 10 years in management, and having been dumped in February 2009 just three months shy of my 25th anniversary -- as I found myself wondering how IBM managers would handle the "messaging" being delivered to employees during the upcoming base pay planning cycle. In years past, IBM HR prepared "team" presentations for IBM managers' use in which workers were advised that IBM was focused on ensuring employees were paid competitively when compared with employees in similar jobs at other "like" companies. On the whole, prior to 2009, the "we focus on paying our employees competitively" statement rang true. Over the past two years, however, the focus has turned to ensuring IBM can compete in a "global marketplace", with the quick fix being a nearly insane focus on drastically and rapidly reducing the cost of labor (with quality taking a back seat, or having no seat, in the process). As a benefit, IBM's profits (2008 was a record/banner year), IBM's stock price, and IBM senior executive compensation are all on the rise while "employee satisfaction" and "employee morale" are rapidly declining, are no longer valued, and are no longer even measured. So I began to wonder what kind of "spin" IBM HR (and in turn, IBM managers) would be putting on the "competitive pay" story during the upcoming (early 2010) base pay planning cycle. If they were to be brutally honest, IBM HR would encourage U.S.-based managers to advise their teams that for some time now IBM has been (as stated specifically by Sam Palmisano) laser-focused on "moving work to where it can be done best," with "best" in this context meaning "at the lowest cost, regardless of quality." As such, the focus is no longer on ensuring U.S. based employees are being competitively paid, but on whether or not each employee is themselves "competitive" in a global marketplace. If they aren't, they will be quickly advised that their work has been "offshored," to the benefit of IBM, its stockholders, and the senior executive team. -Former IBM Manager-

Alliance Reply:Thank you for the brutally honest assessment from your perspective as a former manager. The lie that US IBMers skills are not competitive in the Global Market, is obviously, still alive and well. It is very sad that the current employees continue to be fired under those circumstances, without fighting back harder and at the very least, are not repeating the truth publicly, as much as IBM repeats the lie. We've always believed and stil believe that there are a number of current IBMers that truly want speak up and organize. We will continue to be here as long as possible, to prove to IBMers with that spirit, that organizing and fighting back is the ONLY answer.

Comment 09/12/09: -sby_willie- Do you want to connect ? We can create one time emails, exchange info and connect - if u like? -MN-

Comment 09/11/09: "Career growth and development are IBM priorities" what a joke. The STG education budget has been frozen for so long, no one here remembers what taking a class feels like. Think: are they lying to us? The only priorities IBM has now is to lay you off unless you are willing to work for shiny beads. -Joe Punchclock-

Comment 09/11/09: I certainly believe in the value of organizations INVESTING in their employees. That is, in fact, a big part of my expertise and 'calling' (sorry if you don't agree with the idea of a calling - no problem!) However, when I read this: "By taking time to complete this process, you can open up new IBM career opportunities by enhancing your skill level based on your assessment. Thank you for making your career development an ongoing priority." ... I get a bit skeptical. Perhaps this CIO org is looking to develop careers for their current workforce. Or, perhaps - this being IBM, after all - they are looking to identify skills to offshore. I'm just saying. : ) -RA'ed already-

Comment 09/11/09: -MN- I can empathize with you. I worked for IBM for 25.417 years and will be RAed out on 9/16 and have been an Alliance member since the inception in 1999. I can agree with your observations for the most part but firmly believe nothing good for present and former employees will happen if their is no voice for the IBM employee no matter how lost and uncommitted the vast majority of employees presently are to joining a union. Nothing is ever won by giving up the fight. I'm still going to be a dues paying member. I don't think this is being naive. The way I look at it is; not only simply to show my solidarity to those that remain in IBM, but also I will be an IBM retiree some day and still hold out hope IBM can be unionized completely and provide us all with better retirement benefits that the Alliance would bargain for us all. -sby_willie-

Comment 09/11/09: For those questioning the source of 4-5K Layoffs, something telling?

-----------------------------------------
8/24/2009 7:00 PM
CIO Colleague,

The organization has recently undertaken a Talent Study; a clean-sheet approach to look at the talents, skills and competencies needed and to identify the best options to move the organization forward with an enhanced talent model for the future. Our goal is to continue building a world-class BT/IT organization. The Talent Study links directly to the learning plan for the organization so that we know where we must provide development activities to close gaps and build employees' competencies and skills.

Career growth and development are IBM priorities and IBM has made significant investments in tools and resources that provide you personalized career guidance and learning recommendations. When you understand your skill and development needs, it provides an environment where you and your manager can work together to identify development activities to help you grow in your career. This includes updating your skills profile in the Expertise Assessment (EA) tool. You can begin your EA update starting August 31 and should plan to complete it by September 25 .

Complete your skills assessment in order to: Take an active role in your career development; Get a clear view of the skills our organization believes you need to perform well in your current job; Have an in-depth discussion with your manager about your assessment; Identify your skill gaps and the learning offerings IBM has to help you close those gaps; and Use your assessment results to create or update your 2009 Individual Development Plan (IDP).

Even if there has been no change in your skill level, every employee is required to update the expertise assessment yearly. The tool will display the skills associated with the profession, job roles and skill sets you select allowing you to assess those skills. There are three steps to the assessment process: Review and edit your current profile to ensure that all the information is complete and accurate. This includes verifying your line of business, profession and job role(s) and selecting appropriate skill sets related to the job roles you selected. Assess all skills for the profession, job roles and skill sets you selected. Identify your current skill level for each skill. Assess the target levels for all your skills. Identify the desired skill level. The difference between the “current” and “desired” skill levels for any skills in your record might indicate gaps or areas for potential growth to be included in your IDP. Log on to Expertise Assessment using either Firefox or Internet Explorer as your browser. [Note: Firefox does not support hover text, so some help text might not be available. To ensure access to certain materials (i.e., User Guides) via links provided in EA, you will need a recent version of the Adobe Viewer.] Upon login: If you are prompted to Register as an employee,see steps 1 and 2 in the EA Quick Reference Card. You will be making these selections initially rather than reviewing and updating as noted in the Guide. If you are at the Expertise Assessment Home, follow the steps provided in the EA Quick Reference Card.

The Quick Reference Guide provides tips and suggestions to help ensure you complete the assessment correctly. Frequently Asked Questions, as well as additional information and links to reference materials, can be found on the Learning Community of the CIO wiki. Contact your manager if you have questions about the Expertise Assessment.By taking time to complete this process, you can open up new IBM career opportunities by enhancing your skill level based on your assessment. Thank you for making your career development an ongoing priority.
Regards,

Pat Toole
Vice President and Chief Information Officer

----------------------------------------

I rest my case. -InsideOut-

Comment 09/11/09: One probable source of the 4-5K cuts will be in the BT/CIO organization. That is roughly the figure of the number of I/S function people that were transferred by the stroke of a pen from divisions across the board the end of March. Their cost (salary) was to be borne by their original entities till the end of the year. As there is a new CIO and the BT/CIO office is not revenue producing there is no way for it to maintain this base of people dozens of which have overlapping skills for each position. It was expected that by year end or 1Q next year there would be a massive RA. Because they are spread world wide and can be viewed from either a reporting, or a cost basis. It would be hard to pin numbers to actual organizations. -Anon-

Comment 09/10/09: I was a paying member, until last month when I got laid-off. Yes, the Alliance does not seem to want to post comments which are not union friendly, but what's the point ? They will keep fighting a losing battle, yes, this is an excellent forum for information, and these are good, decent people, albeit unrealistic. IBM workers are like people who are already awake pretending to be asleep, you can't wake them up. From the depths of my heart, I wish upon IBM management those problems that money will not solve for them. I understand this is not a nice/kind thing to write, but it's how I feel. They let me go after 13 years, they moved from NY to NJ just before they let me go. Bas**rds! -MN-

Comment 09/08/09: Hearing from a reliable source that there will be 4000-5000 additional IBM US firings before year end 2009. -Work-For-Sub/Pizzamaker-
Alliance Reply: I hestitated to post this because "a reliable source" can be claimed by anyone; however, because we have posted rumors in the past that have proved to be true many times over, I felt this one was worthy. I will caution you that if you intend to post these kinds of statements here, it will draw criticism and doubt; Even though, in light of IBM's past behavior, the number of jobs lost could reach 16,000 as Alliance@IBM has said publicly. Next time, get more specific information from 'reliable sources', i.e. locations or job type, etc; if at all possible.

Comment 09/08/09: Exodus2007, great post !!! At least some people get it.. -quimby-

Comment 09/06/09: >>Could you be a bit less cryptic? What does your statement mean? -BFL-
BFL, I thought there would be follow-on posts. AFAIK, it means that someone will be brought on from overseas to be a first line, someone who is paid less, MUCH less, housed here, works like a dog, makes sure the rest of the dept. works like dogs, is kept here for a month, then if he/she is good, brought back again for another month, and is then sent back, unceremoniously, to whatever awaits him/her in whatever country he/she came from. Or, if he/she is especially 'nice' (read kiss-up) to upper management, he/she will be made a U.S. employee, at a third of the salary of deserving longtime U.S. employees, and so wil not be part of the firings that occur this year and next so that the number of U.S. employees dwindles to zero. And what will the U.S. employees who get fired by this 'non-resident' first line do about all this? Exactly. Then again, I could be wrong, and IBM could be the most wonderful altruistic caring employee-centric non-mercenary company in the world. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEES. Unionize or be screwed. -anonymouse-

Comment 09/03/09: "Non resident 1st line due in Sept. and again in Nov ....." -Anonymous-
Anonymous: Could you be a bit less cryptic? What does your statement mean? -BFL-

Comment 09/02/09: Actually hate to break it to you folks, but IBM/Wipro have been strategic partners in MANY ASIA ventures since 2002, just google it and I am sure it will pop up. I for one know that even the Bangalore facility has a L shaped area that is nothing but Wipro there and both utilize it, been there - trust me and so have my colleagues. That was ran by a couple of recruiting agencies and looking for IBM personnel to do the work, NK! Spoke to three people involved and the Call Centers are next this month to start by end. This is no joke, they mentioned that consolidation would be eight facilities and based work would start in Atlanta area as a jumping off point. -IBM UC'd-

Comment 09/02/09: -quimby- Read my post in General comments on 08/30/09. It will explain where the political " Parties" are. -Exodus2007-

Comment 09/02/09: Non resident 1st line due in Sept. and again in Nov. Sounds like they are reviewing "who will be selcted" and RA's in Nov. Area is STG Good luck all -Anonymous-

Comment 09/02/09: Um...IBM and Wipro are two different companies, actually competitors in the offshore space - so your job posting makes sense only if its for a third party client that utilize both IBM and Wipro for their call center needs offshore. Dual vendor management. I assume therefore its not an internal job posting.... IBM Free for over 6 months and loving it! -SayItIsn'tSoSam..-

Comment 09/02/09: re:IBM UC'd- /sarcasm mode on And all this can be yours, if the price is right.... $114k to be exact. I'll take the box that Carol Merril is standing next to. Maybe it's a car or something.... /sarcasm mode off
Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. So where is Obama? How about NY Senator Chuckee "Cheese" Schumer? It's bad enough we are losing jobs but knowing that the fat cats like Sammy the Snake are laughing all the way to the bank should be making people steam. Are the tax incentives for starting businesses in "depressed countries" being repealed? That's how they get away with this you know. It was supposed to be an incentive to encourage the economy in poor nations but it has turned into a cash cow for the corporate robber barons to unload high paying US jobs overseas. -quimby-

Comment 09/02/09: At a rate of $50/hr ?! What a joke....! A really bad one... -Neal Watkins-

Comment 09/01/09: Hello again all...just heard that the call centers in Atlanta, Denver and Iowa AND ALL US CALL CENTERS LEFT are next on the chopping block and going permenently...how do I know? Look below:

Sr Project/Program Manager Call Center & Outsourcing (2484)
6 - 12 Months Contract in Atlanta, GA 30346
Local candidates and permanent residents only eligible for this role
Rate :- $50-55/Hr On W2
Note :- This position requires 20-30% travel to the US and
international locations in Asia and Europe (within short notice at times).

Job Description :-
Client is seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead a global consolidation of six to nine helpdesk call center operations to an off-shore location.
Three of the help desk call centers are located outside the US. candidates must have a demonstrated experience with a global consolidation of call centers at organizations.

Primary Requirements :-
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent presentation skills (Position will interface with VPs,
SVPs, Directors, and in some instances, CIO)
Ability to negotiate and manage conflict
Ability to multi-task and work with cross-functional teams
Demonstrated experience with large scale outsourcing initiatives that include global service desk consolidations (consolidating multiple helpdesks across the global to a single source provider)
Experience with outsourcing to, or working in, India, Philippines, Germany, Asia, London, etc.
Flexible schedule to meet and coordinate global activities
Ability to travel both locally and internationally
Excellent skills in the use of project management tools
Analytical Skills
Technical skills to facilitate consolidation efforts

Secondary Requirement :- PMP

Desired Skills :- Six Sigma

Additional notes :- IBM/Wipro is the vendor managing the consolidated helpdesk in Bangalore, India; this candidate will sit in on project meetings with the external vendors to represent Client's interests.
They will work with the finance team to keep on budget. They must be able to communicate with all levels including up to c-levels and must be able to work with different types of cultures They must provide references from where they actually performed global consolidations Any networking and/or helpdesk experience would be a big plus
-------------------------
You know me by now, I have always brought only 100% accurate info and the word from several sources is telling me that the final numbers for
2009 are to be 17,000 TRANSITIONED OUT - those are the level 1 words and I don't doubt this for a second. IBM WiPro in NY, is that NOT the
one where IBM promised NO OFF SHORING in exchange for tax breaks???? -IBM UC'd-

Comment 09/01/09: I heard Global Services ITD SSO org has an RA scheduled for September. No word on how many might be affected. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/31/09: The rumours are flying through GBS or GTS whatever the heck we are now that there will be another wave in September, are we the only ones that have heard this? -Gotta love IBM-

Comment 08/27/09: Thanks Alliance for getting it Right!
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090827/BIZ/908270323 -Another one bites the oversea's Dust-

Comment 08/27/09: Comment 08/26/09: I know of a consultant in GBS that was RA'd recently; H1B visa holder and was not provided a severance package. I am guessing no severance because he was an H1? Just curious to know if anyone has heard similar for non H1 folks (ie, US citizens)? -JustCurious-
Long-term supplement years do not count toward the severance package. Only the regular employment years count. Ask that H1B if he was a LTS or Regular employee. -Drgunzet-

Comment 08/26/09: I know of a consultant in GBS that was RA'd recently; H1B visa holder and was not provided a severance package. I am guessing no severance because he was an H1? Just curious to know if anyone has heard similar for non H1 folks (ie, US citizens)? -JustCurious-

Comment 08/26/09: According to BluePages, there have been about 13K names removed since 1/2009 in the USA. Some may be contractors, but that's 13K people let go in the USA, about 10%. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/25/09: Neutron Bomb: http://www.cringely.com/2009/08/neutron-bomb/ -Anonymous-

Comment 08/24/09: "What are employee forceouts and management inititiated separations (like fireing for cause that cannot be within an RA?). If these and contractors do not get packages with statistics, how do you know they increased, and by about how many?"
I don't have numbers, but in the past 12 months I've seen 3 people retire under my second line when it was clear they were not leaving by choice. We were even told 2 of these guys were told if they didn't take retirement, someone else would get RA'ed. I suspect a lot of this happened. In my previous 5 years, I'd never seen this happen. -NewToRchland-

Comment 08/24/09: What are employee forceouts and management inititiated separations (like fireing for cause that cannot be within an RA?). If these and contractors do not get packages with statistics, how do you know they increased, and by about how many? -anonymous-

Comment 08/24/09: The following are the total job cuts that Alliance@IBM has verified through the receipt of Resource Action Packages.
If you have a RA pack that is not on this list, please send to allianceibmunion@gmail.com

Systems Technology Group = 1213 cut (Jan)
Software Group = 1419 (Jan)
Sales and Distribution = 1449 (Jan)
IBM HR = 92 (Jan)
Marketing and Communications = 147 (Jan)
IBM Research = 193 (Jan)
IBM Finance = 307 (Jan)
US CIO = 411 (March)
Services Delivery = 985 (March)
GBS Application Services = 1674 (March)
Global GTS = 181 (March)
Systems Technology Group = 37 (March)
GBS Application Services = 462 (April)
ISC Global Supply = 245 (April)
Services Delivery = 87 (May)
Services Delivery = 222 (July)
GBS Industrial = 184 (Aug)

Total = 9308

We do believe that job cuts happened beyond those that have been verified.
Employee force outs based on Management Initiated Separation also increased this year.
IBM contractors also are not included in IBM's Resource Action packages.
We do not have numbers for these 3 categories. -Alliance-

Comment 08/21/09: heard atlanta and dallas disbatch were all layed off and transfering to temp workers in boulder -mike-

Comment 08/20/09: First hand from a first-line (not my first line). Future RA's will not be generous, the corporation will get more aggressive in asking people to find positions within or be asked to leave with lesser packages. Of-course, I applied for 7 positions during my notice, not 1 email of support/recommendation to the new hiring managers. So get out while you can. -MN-

Comment 08/20/09: was RA'ed in April09 and just got a new job working as a consultant in Boulder for the Global Services. Now I am doing it with no benefits and 1/3 the pay for an India Consulting company. Only good thing it is a little better than unemployment until I can find something better with someone other than IBM. -Back@IBM-

Comment 08/20/09: To ATTer: IBM was able to get AT&T to do their dirty work for them to get out of the limelight. Let AT&T send thousands of US jobs overseas, same IBM would have done if they didnt move the network at AT&T. The cost to AT&T is so high right now they are losing money on this deal, the cost model is not going to work until the US jobs are gone. Start looking for a job now! -AT&T? IBM? One in the same-

Comment 08/20/09: Former IBMers who were sent to ATT were being asked today to train their replacements in Slovakia beginning next week. If anyone has information about what is happening I urge you to speak up on this board. The word out there is that by 02/01/10 most accounts (IBM internal and all commercial) will be devoid of US employees unless US citizenship is required. This transfer of US jobs to Slovakia is deemed FMO (future mode of operation) by AT&T. -ATTer-

Comment 08/19/09: Media coverage of August RAs:

"IBM layoffs hit hundreds in latest round: Hardest hit unit includes Sterling Forest", Albany Times Herald-Record, Aug. 4
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090804/BIZ/908049969/-1/rss06

"'Small number' of jobs cut, IBM says", Poughkeepsie Journal, Aug. 5
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20090805/BUSINESS01/908050323/1003/RSS02

"Report: IBM to Lay Off Hundreds", eWeek, Aug. 5
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastructure/Report-IBM-to-Layoff-Hundreds-555229/?kc=rss

"More blue news at IBM -- Layoffs hit Global Business Services unit", Local Tech Wire, Aug.7
http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/blogpost/5747758

"Data reveal IBM cut 493 jobs in 2 units: Some mid-Hudson employees affected", Albany Times Herald-Record, Aug. 19
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090819/BIZ/908190334

"Ball wants probe of IBM-state deal: Assemblyman says job losses defy tax breaks," Poughkeepsie Journal, Aug. 19
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090819/BUSINESS01/908190323&template=printart -Gorya-

Comment 08/18/09: I was RA'ed yesterday after returning first day back from short term disability. Paperwork says I was RA'ed during the medical leave. I work in MBPS line of business. -sby_willie-

Comment 08/17/09: Call Center employee's were told by IBM management that if they find another job or leave IBM before their scheduled last day of work. They will lose their severance. The best part of the Call Center Mess is that Call center managers already have jobs waiting. If you work in a call center/help desk area please go to this web site: http://www.ibmcallcenterovertime.com/index.html -Anonymous-

Comment 08/17/09: This is interesting:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=ibm+layoffs&ctab=0&geo=us&geor=all&date=ytd&sort=0
It gives you a rough idea of when layoffs happened and where. A big spike in January and a slightly smaller one in March. I'm curious when the next big spike will occur. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/17/09: As a member whose dues help support this web site I too want to add that this job cuts comment section needs to be just about that. Sniping at each other must be out of bounds from now on. I also want to see more concrete information on job cuts. How many cut, if the work is being offshored and to where. Let's keep it simple here and keep the dialogue to a minimum. -member-
Alliance reply: Your staff agrees.

Comment 08/17/09: I just joined The Union. I'm no longer an active IBM employee. But I join because month after month I've learned important information from you all regarding pension, signing documents. etc etc. I even used legal information from this web site. You might say I'm blowing $10 a month....not me. I'm sorry Alliance I did not join earlier. Every Class center/help desk current and former employee join the call center class action law suit. -anonymous-

Comment 08/17/09: yes -- call centers moving to 3rd world in Sept - including toronto. 3500 will be closed - mgt to go too. Guess they need a union too haha -Todd-

Comment 08/17/09: Hi, Count me in with overtheedge and others who would like to have this discussion take a slightly more helpful tone. I don't wish to be critical to others who are also struggling in these very difficult times. Please don't take my comment here as a criticism. That said, would the Alliance team prefer that these types of discussions move to the General category, in order to keep the Job Cut section for ... reporting new job cuts? And in empathy for others who are angry with, or at, IBM - I DO understand that, too. I have been there and am trying now to move on. And NO, it isn't easy; however in the long run, I believe it is in my best interest to leave IBM behind - except for the great colleagues I met there, with whom I stay in touch. And yes, I really am RA'ed already from IBM, after over 20 years - that is, I am not a 'management plant'. Funny visual image, that - management plants! Sorry - just had to laugh there. : )
So again, not seeking to criticize, but rather to share my experience and best wishes for your / everyone's future. If that makes sense?
-RA'ed already-

Comment 08/17/09: http://www-935.ibm.com/services/in/gts/bus/html/daksh_jobs_graduates_philippines.html
the above link is where our jobs went -- to bad we didnt try to stop this -- i guess we just cost too much here in Canada!!! -Anonymous-

Comment 08/17/09: ok - i was RA's from Power Sales. Here is what I learned from my experience with IBM: for the last 5 years I did nothing. No joke. We have business partners who on commission do everything. For some reason IBM likes to also have a bunch of reps - who are strongly urged to pretend they are involved in the business partners transaction. Every once and a while, IBM figures out the reps do nothing and ra some of them. This is especially true when the business partners have poor sales. Then slowly they hire more reps again who do nothing like i did. My mistake - i didnt make extreemly good friends with my latest manager - this is key to not getting the ra axe. You really have to buddy up in a huge way and you really have to make it look like your input to deals is vital so they have good stuff to pass along to their superiors. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/17/09: To Sickofitall. Welcome to the fight. You can take over where some of us left off. Were you listening to us 10 years ago or did you just blow off us old timers that tried to send out the warning flags? I have gone from handing out flyers and having Alliance stuff in my office to being just another apathetic beamer. My fight is gone, too many sheeple. I know what I can do to try to keep my job and from now on it's all about me. -Biker Mike-

Comment 08/16/09: - seems like there's a potential for more layoffs in September, hearing numbers from 10K - 16K Anyone else hearing this?- Those numbers are what was projected for the entire year I believe. If 10K-16K would be done in one fell swoop, that would probably require IBM to notify the Dept of Labor, which they try to sneak around by keeping the layoff numbers low in each round. I doubt you'll see 10K-16K in September. Doesn't mean there won't be any, but not in that quantity. -anonymous-

Comment 08/16/09: To -fagulu- : You hear there is a potential for more layoffs? That is all IBM is about, layoffs, ra's, skills rebalancing, global resourcing.... What else have they called it over the YEARS??? Yes the potential is there, always has been and always will be as long as you are an AT WILL employee. Want that potential to stop? Organize all your co-workers and UNIONIZE. -gone_in_07-

Comment 08/16/09: -SickOfItAll-, no you're not wrong, you're quite right. Unionizing is the only way to go. Next year at this time it won't be 29%, it will be lots less. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/16/09: Justme - you write "BTW, as far as I know, contributing to your own pension wasn't an option when he hired on in the 70s.". Not to rain on your parade, but that is not relevant. Unemployment money is not a certainty. You do not just automatically get it. If you have income (pension, part-time work, etc.), that is considered to determine if you are eligible and what portion of unemployment you get - and you may get none. If your husband retired with 30+ years you have a relatively good pension and retiree health. Those of us newer IBMers do not have any of that - zero - and it is for people like us that unemployment is there to give us some kind of money for a short while. YOU AND WE all have to find the next job and decide what we do now. You husband is 55 and has about 10 years, like many of us, to go before social security and medicare. Focus on that next job. You have pension income, while others of us instead have unemployment money. None of us are rich. We just have to move forward and enter the next stage of our career. -anonymous-

Comment 08/16/09: "How about a Class Action law Suit by Quarter Century Club members. I'll bet there are enough to prove age discrimination." All for it but how to prove it against the Perry Mason IBM attorneys where everything brought against IBM is dismissed with no merit? IBM can easily counter to say Quarter Century Club members get 1 year TMP medical versus the standard 6 months for RA'ed. Better chance is for everyone to join the Alliance even if they are not close to the Quarter Century Club. -25yrs&out-

Comment 08/16/09: He was RAd in Jan, 1 day after his 54th b-day. On his last day in Feb., he began the unemployment process. Jumped through the hoops, made the call ins. Finally he was told, number one, that because he never contributed to his pension (nearly 31 years) he was ineligible. Number 2, even if he were, he made too much to qualify. We appealed, got shot down. Now I've read something about the 5 quarter rule? When he applied in February it hadn't been five quarters since IBM contributed to pensions, but by now it would be. Have no idea if we're able to refile after all this time. Seems to be confusing/conflicting info. BTW, as far as I know, contributing to your own pension wasn't an option when he hired on in the 70s. Thanks! --justme-

Comment 08/16/09: I have to agree w/overtheedge that insulting posts and language that has offensive, violent overtones (rape, sadism) do not inspire anyone to join any organization and reflects a negative image to any press who reads this board. That is counterproductive to the Alliance - turns more people off than encourages membership. Stick to the issues. The first is greed. The way to curb corporate greed is through unions to protect employees, stockholder action, and executive pay caps. The second is offshoring American (and now many of the G8) jobs. This has been going on for years and is DIRECTLY related to our own U.S. preferential tax and trade laws. Those laws MUST change to reduce offshoring. Am I angry about being RA’d? You bet I am. But to all of you … channel your anger constructively. There is plenty of work to do. -annonymous-

Comment 08/15/09: How about a Class Action law Suit by Quarter Century Club members. I'll bet there are enough to prove age discrimination. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/15/09: I fear that there are no longer any IBM employees left with the strength or will to stand up and organize. There is no one left with the spine to demand their rights. Look at how all of us have rolled over during the past ten years, giving in to IBM's increasingly corporate-centric strategy, thinking that they are lucky to hold onto their jobs as benefits are reduced and others are fired. They payed no attention as the pension program was torn apart (twice). They sat and took it while their jobs were reclassified and their pay was reduced. They let year after year go by without a pay increase, promotion, band movement. They watched stock prices and profits go up while variable pay went down. They are wimps and just don't give a $#!+… Am I wrong? Have the executives won by beating their lower-level workers down? Are you happy just to have this $#!++¥ job? Are you proud of yourself? Let's work together and make a difference! 11 years with IBM and I am ready to stand and fight! What have I got to lose at this point? -SickOfItAll-

Comment 08/15/09: Justme - Not everyone qualifies for unemployment benefits, and it varies by state. In my state you declare any income being received from a pension or other source. For pensions, it may or may not affect the unemployment money based on what you contributed to the pension. -anonymous-

Comment 08/15/09: --justme-, have you read all the posts here and on employeeissues and on RAed2009?
Tell your husband not to take 'no' for an answer. The DOL and IBM WANT you to take 'no' for an answer. Post the details on those boards if you want more feedback. Believe me, I bin there, done that, and have the tee shirt to prove it. IBM WANTS firees to give up. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/15/09: Tucson, Hey boys and girls, seems like there's a potential for more layoffs in September, hearing numbers from 10K - 16K Anyone else hearing this? -fagulu-

Comment 08/15/09: >>Unite - Britain's largest union - has warned IBM UK of a coming "backlash" from thousands of employees over its decision pull a prime pension plan out from under 28 per cent of its workforce"
Now THAT'S how IBM employees who are raped SHOULD react. Good for the Brits on having more stones than most Americans employees. Bravo.
Have you been raped, -overtheedge-? Have you been the victim of sadists, -overtheedge-? Yes? Then, organize a union. No? Well, you know the rest. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/15/09: Anonymous...I don't know what state you live in, but in MI, my husband was DENIED any and all Unemployment benefits when he was RA'd in January. He had 30+ years at IBM and is receiving his pension...though it's not nearly enough. Anyone in MI having success in receiving benefits? --justme-

Comment 08/15/09: Anonymous, where r u located ? Would you want to connect via anonymous email? -MN-

Comment 08/14/09: >>Look forward. Move on. -anonymous-
Good advice, -anonymous-.
IBM won, a long time ago. Unfortunately, sadists like them will never suffer. If the remaining 29% are not going to unionize, they'd do well to get
their affairs in order, since they too will be fired. And when they are, they (along with all the other 16K firees), would do well to move on. Sad, but true. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/14/09: IBM UK facing 'backlash' over pension snuffing http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/14/unite_warns_ibm/
IBM UK facing 'backlash' over pension snuffing
'Hundreds' Unite
By Cade Metz in San Francisco
Posted in Financial News, 14th August 2009 17:05 GMT
Unite - Britain's largest union - has warned IBM UK of a coming "backlash" from thousands of employees over its decision pull a prime pension plan out from under 28 per cent of its workforce. In early July, the company shelved its Defined Benefit or "final salary" pension scheme, which would have guaranteed retired employees a predefined portion of their final salary.
"IBM is facing a backlash against its pensions proposals," reads a statement from Peter Skyte, Unite national officer for IT and communications.
"Hundreds of workers are joining the union determined to stand up to this unacceptable attack on their pensions. These highly skilled and experienced staff were key to the company~Rs survival and they view the company's proposals as a kick in the teeth. -anonymous-

Comment 08/14/09: To: anonymouse. You are using this forum to do nothing but rage against the rest of us. We are not the enemy. Are you thinking that this is a good method for persuading people to join? How is it working so far? Very seriously, please get some help in managing this. It is toxic to all of us, and especially you. We are all angry, but this level of rage, directed at US, is wrong. -overtheedge-

Comment 08/14/09: MN, sorry if my comment seemed critical - with all the CAPS - and I appreciate your reply! I met with an HR person as I don't live near my then manager... and she (HR) was very professional. I actually felt a little sorry for her, as it appeared her main job was handling these departure meetings on behalf of the managers. Whether you decide to meet with your manager ... maybe if you had a positive relationship while working together? In any case, the advice to move on (from another poster) is excellent. I am trying to follow that advice myself. Best of luck to you! Having a 1 year job sounds like a good place to be in this tough economy. -RA'ed already-

Comment 08/14/09: Alliance, what RA packages do you need? -RA'd-
Alliance reply: We only received the GBS Industrial RA from the latest cuts. We need the one from ITD as well as any others from the past 2 months. The RA packs are the only proof cuts are happening because IBM is remaining silent. Please send RA packs to allianceibmunion@gmail.com Names will be confidential.

Comment 08/14/09: About signing the paperwork when RA'd in order to get your checks. Many suggested to just sign and move on. I did that a few months ago. It is the right advice. Move on. I know someone who lost all their savings trying to fight another company. He was near retirement age. He has no money as a result and has to work at a low wage job to pay the bills. Move on. It is time to write the next chapter in you life. Frankly, with the severance check and unemployment money, many of us are taking some time to think about what we really do want to do next. There are lots of grant money, besides the $2500 from IBM to retrain. Maybe a career transition and switch would be a good thing to better enjoy life, have more family time, even if the pay is less. But you now have time to reflect on what do you really want to do? The grants are transitioning people into new careers - the IT jobs are going, going, gone. But there is demand for people in health and transportation careers. Look around and make your life better. And take sometime off, literally, to enjoy yourself a bit. Unemployment is extended by the federal government to 76 weeks, I believe, and states can do better still. There is a recent news post that the fed is looking to extend this again as people roll off the unemployment in the still bad economy. You get IBM TMP health care for probably 6 to 12 months depending on your years of service. You do have a lot of support to get you through the next year while you make your life what you want it to be. In NJ you might also join the dept of labors Professional Services Group of like-minded people and get some really great training in resume writing, networking, interviewing for free. High quality training that beats companies like Right Management by some PSG groups. Or free training, computer use and great books to help with a job search like this at places like the Morris County Library. Look forward. Move on. -anonymous-

Comment 08/14/09: >>This shows a horrible attitude about people and their lives. -employee-
Oh, does it really? Have you been in IBM since 1999, when they raped the Second Choicers and stole their promised lifetime retiree medical? You don't actually THINK IBM cares about the ruined lives of the 16K FIRED since January, do you? Come on, seriously. THINK AGAIN. No wonder there is no union in IBM. Oh, and where is it that financial people are talking freely about the firees? Did you stand up and object to this insult towards the fired IBMers? -anonymouse-

Comment 08/13/09: -RA'ed already- Hi, thanks - I have read this stuff, some of the language is legal, and I am not a lawyer. I did consult the one I was directed to by Lee (Lee, thanks) - attorney seemed OK having me sign the docs. I don't know what to make of my manager, whether I show compassion and professionalism (we are who we are despite them), or just say - screw him and not even bother to meet. He puts up a face and encourages me to look for jobs inside IBM, I applied for 7, asked him to follow up, not a word of recommendation went from him...and then I have a 1 year gig lined up. One more thing, I am Indian, don't think is an Indian problem, this ia greed problem, people in India are being used now, just as we have been in the past. We didn't see it, but these guys job-hop every couple years. I have lived there, been on the other side, know what commitment I had then, and what I have now. Folks responding, please remove any anger, hatred from your mails, and respond about my manager, do I meet him and play nice or to hell with it..caught between compassion and justice..makes sense? -MN-

Comment 08/13/09: Hey -IBMslaveSold2 ATT- Where are you getting your numbers/info from? Please set up an anonymous email so we can converse. I have seen meetings for "Project GO" but nothing specific like that. I'm also at ATT. Thanks!! -AnonATT-

Comment 08/13/09: @MN, you ask, 'Do I have the option of not signing the "Statement of Understanding"'
So, not to be too direct, um, YOU are responsible to READ AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE BEING OFFERED, AND THEN TO MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION. Sorry for the CAPITAL LETTERS; I just think that sometime people ask for and receive advice on the internet which doesn't serve them well. Sorry. That's just what I believe. PLEASE also consult an attorney if you have any questions, and PLEASE don't rely solely on advice from the internet, however well-intentioned that advice may be. Truly. Good luck to you from another RA'ed ex-ibm employee. -RA'ed already-

Comment 08/13/09: No raise in 5 years, IBM is all "green" now to get govt funds, Ozone action days, I am working from home every day unbless I need to print out something and yeah, I get job done, but working at home, half the time since no raise for 5 years, I am "online' tomorrow sent ote out"have apoointment" going for a massage. two way street Sammy, if you are going to be cheap I can too, I have "meetings" tomorrow, which means set Sametime to "In a meeting" and I'll be at pool. I'll still get job done but if you can get millions and offshore, those of us left, yep I got me a massage time and some pool time. And guess what those f tards you offsored are clueless and to make any product successful they need me, so after massage and a swim I will get back to ya, won;t leave ya hanging , I'll make sure project goes forth but, no raise, not even for cost ofliving, I'll do job, but am damn sure going to use that whole "greeen thing" save the environment' work from home, as long as you offshore I am making those f'ers do my work. It isa a nice thing to get paid 40$ an hour especially all it takes is signing onto sametime set status to "in a meeting" or do not disturb" Sammmy you want cheap I can give you cheap, crap, I used to believe in IBM, my family has 50 years in IBM but you want to play the game, two can play, and I have NO problem making indian and asian f'ers do my work, look at Onion.com on outsourcing, their video is a joke, I am making your joke of IBM a reality -Me in IBM-

Comment 08/13/09: I was in a meeting at IBM last week where the financial people referred to layoffs as "taking bodies out of the business". This shows a horrible attitude about people and their lives. -employee-

Comment 08/13/09: Proof in the pudding, IBM is seeking cloud computing stimulus money (from U.S. taxpayers) but I bet those 'cloud jobs' are in India... this is a travesty... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aBOrK5qwlHEQ --

Comment 08/12/09: Hope the truth about IBM continues to get out....nice editorial in The Herald Record on 8/11/09.... http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090811/OPINION/908110302 -anonymous-

Comment 08/12/09: I deal with IBM's own Indian and South American admins, I have never felt better about myself and my skills in AIX, but that won't stop the bean counters from replacing me -Aix support-

Comment 08/12/09: Either unionize to save our jobs, or find a new career. It appears I/T in the US is a dying career path. It's gone the way of the US manufacturing positions. -dun-4-

Comment 08/12/09: MN...Everything in my RA was done remotely - I mailed in my signed forms, returned my laptop a few days before and the guy receiving it sent my manager an email. Then my manager overnighted my checks to me. I even OFFERED to come see him in person, look him in the eye,make it as personal as possible - maybe get some inside scoop (after 5 years of accolades) on WHY ME - but he said that wasn't necessary. Would have been a 2 hour drive one way so the mail route was OK. -silly willy-

Comment 08/12/09: The reason they are outsourcing AIX jobs is because a lot of the people in India are being trained heavily in Smitty. While Smitty is a good tool, that's all it is... a tool. The Indians will be able to operate with Smitty knowledge for a while, but it will become evident very quickly that they have no deeper knowledge of AIX or even UNIX in general when the complex situations arise that require understanding above and beyond Smitty administration. It's a house of cards. So glad I'm out! -OuttaThere-

Comment 08/12/09: MN--there is no simple reason for a face to face meeting with a manager to receive your severance pay. I was RA'd earlier this year and they flew in someone from Arizona over 2000 miles to give me my checks and to top things off he was Indian. -ANON-

Comment 08/12/09: RE: AIX support offshored I think the original post/link referred to the AIX Support that handles the phones on the other side of 1-800-IBM-SERV. I don't believe it was in regards to US employees currently supporting IBM clients using AIX. So when you need call IBM support to find out why some AIX command bombed out, you'll spend 2 hours just trying to communicate the problem to the person on the other end. I wonder what levels of support they're offshoring - I know whoever takes the initial information has limited English. But when I get to level 3, it's obvious they are US based. -anonymous-

Comment 08/12/09: The practice of phony job postings when they already have an Indian lined up for the position is nothing new. Six years ago when looking for a job, twice I was told by the managers that they already had someone for the position who was just waiting for his visa and the job posting was just a 'formality' (their exact word both times). -not missing ibm at all-

Comment 08/12/09: TO MN -- I don't know about having to sign the other forms but I do know you don't have to go in for the exit. Ask them to overnight the forms. Sign and overnight back. Then they overnight checks. I refused to be humiliated any further. And I know others who refused to go in because of long commutes for a 3 minute meeting. -annonymous-

Comment 08/12/09: IBM replacing US Finance and Reporting with resources in India. Staffing reps based in RTP were layed off around May 09 timeframe. Team now supporting US recruitment are based in India. -RTP-

Comment 08/12/09: Remember all the IBMers sold off like slave to ATT about 2 years ago? What is ATT doing to them? Well, ATT will let around 700 of the 1200 go by 2/1/10! These former IBM employees will train their replacements. The new low cost ATT offshore employees of choice, Czechoslovakia! IBM and ATT worked well together to betray American workers, with the IBM/ATT deal! Time for Americans to take stand against job offshoring! We all can't be congressment teachers or nurses! -IBMslaveSold2 ATT-

Comment 08/12/09: "Do I have the option of not signing the "Statement of Understanding" ? Do I have to meet with my manager ? Why can't I just ship him their assets - and after that they send me my checks in the mail ? Why the insistence on meeting ? Logical answers please. -MN-"
You don't have to meet your manager in person. When I left IBM, the day I was suppose to drive 3 hours to meet my manager, I called in
sick as that was my last day at work. I was instructed to send in all IBM assets paid by IBM postage by next day delivery. 2 weeks later I
received my checks. I didn't have to sign any sort of paperwork though. -LeftAtMyOwnWill-

Comment 08/12/09: >>Do I have to meet with my manager ? Why can't I just ship him their assets - and after that they send me my checks in the mail ?
Logical answer -- no. It depends on your manager. However, since my manager FIRED me over the phone, read from a script whilst FIRING me, couldn't deviate from the script and had to start over when interrupted (I kid you not), sent me a box to ship back my computer only after an uproar was raised about the FIRED employees having to supply their own boxes, and sent me my checks in the mail, and otherwise did everything in the most demeaning, bloodless, disrespectful, -MN-, you can consider it a mark of humanity that your manager is meeting with you over your FIRING. My manager had no
humanity.

-irRational-, -Discarded '09- et al: I 'think' -anonymous- was being sarcastic. Dead-on sarcastic. My replacement knew jack about my job, and was led to the job posting, but guess what? It didn't matter. As long as my replacement is making peanuts, the skills matter not. So what? At the end of the day, there is no union and IBM wins. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/12/09: To those who believe they've been discriminated against due to age, gather your evidence (the paperwork with the "selected / not selected" data), use the analysis tool available on this site and send the information to your Senators and Representatives, state and Federal. Tell them you don't want any company that discriminates based on age to receive incentives, stimulus money or tax breaks. Same goes if you can show your job was offshored. D A T A D A T A D A T A !!! -Think-

Comment 08/12/09: Lee - how many more employees need to join the union in order to become recognized? Everyone here - remember the Alliance can't do it alone. They've got their hands FULL trying to be our watchdog. ALL of us need to beat the drum. If you've been RAd already, you have nothing to lose by blitzing everyone you know that's still at IBM - send emails to their personal accounts, post articles and comments on your FB pages - be an ADVOCATE. For those that are still with IBM - join now, follow the guidelines, and tell everyone you can (WITHIN GUIDELINES) that we stand together or we get picked off one by one. $10/month?? COME ON!! That's nothing! IT IS UP TO EVERY ONE OF US TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. Let's set some monthly targets and SPREAD THE WORD!
Another thought - Alliance Guys, is it legal to picket outside IBM facilities? If we could pick a day and time, then get former IBMers
to picket outside the offices, you could probably get the story picked up by several news outlets. We wouldn't have to have a ton of people at each location - if you picked 20 locations and had 10 people each it would be enough to be newsworthy. We would need signs saying things like "I'm ready to work" and "My job went overseas" and "Join the Union NOW to protect your job." Do it all legal, by the books, alert anyone you think might cover it, then everyone that's participating, put the word out across social media, youtube, CNN I-report etc. We need to put real faces on this issue as often as possible. Heck, we should picket every month - the 2nd Wed, at 12 noon, for example. Be a (legal) thorn in their side and keep the pressure on. Run "Stop Offshoring IBM" bake sales and car washes just off their property lines. Get bright stickers and wear them on your shirt wherever you go. Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. Guess I've had too much caffeine this morning! -Gal Friday-
Alliance reply: Yes it is legal. In fact we have done it many times. See the front page of this web site on the picket in Poughkeepsie. The problem we have is getting people to come out for the picket. It is long past time for action. If anyone wants to help organize a picket let us know.

Comment 08/12/09: MN: Are you remote? I had the choice between having a meeting with a local manager I had never met or doing it all by phone. The latter was my choice of course! If you are local, I believe the managers are being asked to evaluate if you are going to
a) sue them,
b) rant to the news or
c) be a good IBM employee and take your severance like a good little boy. My manager thanked me multiple times for being "professional" about it
the whole time.
I suggest being calm and positive when you're talking with your manager. That will reassure him that you're not going to be one of those angry RA'd HR needs to be worry about. Believe me, the sooner you get away from IBM's red tape, the better. If you don't owe anything it won't kill you to sign the statement of understanding and yes, you need to sign the extra documents to get your severance check. I got them sent by UPS two day and sent them back the same way. Once I signed the documents and my manager got confirmation that my computer was due to arrive, my checks arrived the next day by UPS. --

Comment 08/12/09: To LaidOFFUSWorker, remember that just because IBM has US job postings, it does not necessarily mean they will consider filling it with a US worker. They use these postings to 'prove' to the gubmint that they considered US workers and could not find anyone qualified. Shamefully, your job application becomes their legal 'proof' that a US worker was considered -- and of course they don't even read your application. That qualifies IBM to hire an H1B visa holder on the cheap. This video of a law firm explaining the H1-B program exploitation game to execs is eye opening. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU -Discarded '09-

Comment 08/12/09: >>'Hi , !!! Hurry Urgent Opening !!! !!! Grab the Opportunity to work with IBM !!! This is Renu , from Team Lease Staffing Solutions . One of our reputed Clients have opening for any position as per experience. The name of the Client is IBM Position :- Any Post as per Experience . Experience :- min 3yrs relevant exp in Java\J2ee is Mandatory Location :- Pune , Gurgaon , Noida Mandatory Criterias to ...'

Reputed? Mobsters are reputed too, aren't they? What a hoot of a site, anonymous. What a professional job posting. What a world. Still think IBM needs the remaining 29% U.S. employees? Think again. Unionize, don't unionize, your choice. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/12/09: I am shocked they would outsource the AIX support jobs, because those people have a unique skill set. How can they find those skills? I am in shock and amazement that these highly technical skills that took years to acquire are available on the street for hire in India. Who says they are available there? IBM management may believe the fiction that they're replacing skills with equal skills, but you don't have to believe it. -irRational-

Comment 08/12/09: RE: recruiters calling/emailing because you match IBM jobs... Wake up! This was discussed on this comments section months ago! You mean that IBM is not really dumping you because your skills aren't needed? Wow, what a revelation! You mean that you are just being replaced with someone cheaper? Amazing! Your skills are actually vital to the continued business of IBM? Who would have thought? Start paying attention and see that if you have not yet been phoned or tapped on the shoulder, YOU ARE NEXT. This is just going to continue as IBM needs to inflate their stock price, and without a union to fight it, there is NOTHING you can do. Most of the posts expressing such shock at IBM's ability to screw over employees have been posted dozens of times before by others. Read the archived section, at least back into the Winter of 2008 when many were already getting wind of the 2009 plans. Wake up. Whining here is doing nothing. Look back and see how much whining came before yours and realize how much good it did without the employees being organized. -Hula Girl-

Comment 08/12/09: I was asked to cancel my conference calling numbers, which I did, and my tie-lines which I did. Now I am being asked to meet so I can get my checks and hand over the separation agreement. In addition, I am being told, there are other documents to sign. I asked these documents be sent to me, so I got them faxed. These are a statement of understanding (IBM confidentiality), and another one which is more financial, states balances owed etc, where all mu numbers are 0. Couple questions folks, Do I have to sign these extra documents - other than the separation agreement to receive my checks ? Do I have the option of not signing the "Statement of Understanding" ? Do I have to meet with my manager ? Why can't I just ship him their assets - and after that they send me my checks in the mail ? Why the insistence on meeting ? Logical answers please. -MN-

Comment 08/12/09: Another HR Policy deemed toward cutting expenses and/or encouraging people to look elsewhere. O/T pay for Band 6/7 has been reduced to nothing in most of Canada as of Feb. 6th, 2010. Mass email went out end of day. -west coast canada-

Comment 08/11/09: "I am shocked they would outsource the AIX support jobs, because those people have a unique skill set. How can they find those skills? I am in shock and amazement that these highly technical skills that took years to acquire are available on the street for hire in India."
Basic L1 & L2 support can be learned through certifications & being trained by the people they're replacing. IBM doesn't care about the 10-20% extra they get from the seasoned support person. Management figures 2 or 3 replacements make up for that lost 20%. The deeper support has to come from development and that's from wherever the new development is (increasingly outside the U.S.). Anyone's skills and responsibilities can be transferred to India, management doesn't care about the tangible intangibles their U.S. employees take to their competitors when they find work elsewhere. -NewToRchland-

Comment 08/11/09: AIX is just another Unix flavor, like Linux (Redhat, Fodera,SuSE), Solaris, HP-UX, etc. so it's not as much as a unique skill set per se. Sure it is IBM's version and unix skills are not to be compared with Windows OS but the technically inept and naive managers don't care as long as a warm body that might be able to do the job is available overseas. Yes, it's sad but that's this dumb company now. -Unix_dude-

Comment 08/11/09: Gal Friday, et al....LinkedIn is another tool for us, many current IBMers use Linked in and not FaceBook. There is a reference to the ComputerWorld Post in one of the IBM groups that is receiving a lot of interest and comments. The specific group name is " The Greater IBM Connection: IBM's alumni program for past and present IBM employees", then look under NEWS tab. Currently there are 19 comments. -anonymous-

Comment 08/11/09: I am shocked they would outsource the AIX support jobs, because those people have a unique skill set. How can they find those skills? I am in shock and amazement that these highly technical skills that took years to acquire are available on the street for hire in India. -anonymous-

Comment 08/11/09: Does anyone have a link to the Computer World article, please? -justme-
Alliance reply: We have one posted, by a member, in this comments section on 08/07/09 below. Is that the one?

Comment 08/11/09: Anonymous re: AIX Support .. a little bird told me there are 18 thousand people about to be affected by those jobs reqs. The little birdie works in AIX support stateside & has been advised of same. Luckily he's not yet affected. Sad state of affairs. -BlueBlows-

Comment 08/11/09: IBM is blatantly discriminating against older and skilled US workers. Now that IBM laid me off, I keep getting emails from recruiters for IBM who are finding my resume on the Internet. They are calling me because my qualifications match MULTIPLE jobs that IBM is hiring for. Every time I respond back to the headhunters and inform them that I used to work at IBM, I never hear from them again. Since my certifications and skills are obviously among those that IBM is recruiting for, this is pure discrimination. -LaidOFFUSWorker-

Comment 08/11/09: IBM to offshore all AIX call center positiions. All AIX Support soon to be answered by India. Call center support employees not notified by management of new job postings in india. I wonder how the multi-million dollar contracts with companies like Wells Fargo and various others are going to feel when they are left out in the cold. http://www.zdnetasia.com/techjobs/jobs/0,3800009332,44952863p,00.htm -anonymous-

Comment 08/11/09: >>I'm still trying to figure out why they bother to send it when there is nothing in it for me.

-anonymous-, it's IBM's form of "flug you". You didn't retire, I didn't retire, but as far as they are concerned, we 'retired'. Even though we were FIRED. Looks better in the press, and that's what IBM is all about, lies and deceit and false perceptions. But hey, we don't have a contract, so they can flug us all they like and get away with it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32371735#32371735
Given that these are all fake bussed in 'activists' who are paid by the drug companies to shut down the health care reform proposal (a fact, from a lobbyist friend), isn't it mindblowing what 16K fired IBM employees could do? But choose not to? Amazing. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/10/09: Congrats on the awesome publicity with the Computerworld article! Just a suggestion - for all here who are no longer employed by IBM- if you're on Facebook, post a link to that article on your profile with a short personal note about how layoffs have affected your life. Again - look at the power of numbers -FB is a great way to broadcast information widely by working the multipliers. Lee - is it permissible for the Alliance to start a FB group? Current employees wouldn't join publicly but its just one more (free) way to get the word out that employees do have a way to fight back by unionizing. -Gal Friday-

Comment 08/10/09: It's not an "I was an IBMer video" but this guy filmed himself packing up before leaving and put the Benny Hill music behind it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1K5NCv7qs -Anonymous-

Comment 08/10/09: Well, I got in the mail a package with the IBM Retirement book. I'm still trying to figure out why they bother to send it when there is nothing in it for me. 10 years of service and no retirement benefits for this retiree to speak of. What a waste of paper and postage. -anonymous-

Comment 08/09/09: Re: RA's getting another job in IBM but "rejected" by Resource Board. Same happened to me. My friend keeps insisting there is a law suit in this practice, he can't believe this is legal. We are essentially discriminated against because we've been labled "RA". If nothing else, couldn't this (encouraging employees to find another job knowing they won't be hired) abusive, or intentionally inflicting emotional harm? The hiring managers should KNOW BEFORE they post the job what the Resource Board will and won't allow. That they are doing this AFTER the person is selected reeks of discrimination, slander, or libel. Someone should get a lawyer to look into this. There is a strategic reason why IBM tries to make us think there is a chance, hope, etc. when there is less than a 1% chance of getting kept, if that. -Silly Willy-
Alliance reply: Read my lips: YOU ARE AN AT WILL EMPLOYEE. IBM can do anything it wants to do. IBM can break its own rules or suborn its own policy. There is NOTHING illegal about how the "Resource Board" executes IBM policy. There are NO LABOR LAWS that cover this. Wake up! Sorry to be so harsh. Organize your co-workers and work toward a union contract. It will not be easy. IBM will fight you at every step and turn; but if you are organized as a collective voice, you can fight back as a collective voice and NOT BE ALONE! It's YOUR call.

Comment 08/09/09: With or without a union, everyone interested in putting an end to the onslaught of off-shoring needs to send emails to their representatives in Congress. Write frequently and repeat the message that off-shoring is new corporate strategy in America. Until Congress gets it, we have no chance of changing the situation. Off-shoring is the ultimate union buster. Work on ending off-shoring and work on a union OR shut up and get used to the new corporate reality in America. -CM-
Alliance reply: "Off-shoring is the ultimate union buster." or it can be the ultimate organizer, depending on how you look at it and how long you intend to do nothing. At Will Employee=no collective voice=no union contract=you're screwed. Organize and get your co-workers to see this light. It's the only answer. No Congress, Community, President, Senator, Governor, Mayor, nor criminal will help you. You must do this together with your co-workers. How much more simple can it be stated? Sorry to be so harsh.

Comment 08/09/09: Well great example, moved to new position in may but paperwork did not sign before june 1st so they put me in for layoff. I worked my butt off in june as it was quarter close. Resource board extended me 30 days. I applied for another role in a different group interviewed got the job and they said resource board had to approve. They rejected it saying I was not from their dept. so they could not take me. It even says in the paper work you are given to go look for another job somehere else in the company you do that and you still dont stay@!!! so needless to say my extra 30 days are now up and out looking for a job. Pretty sad to look and see EVERYONE has jobs available in different countries but not to many here in the USA....... -Anonymous-

Comment 08/09/09: Well guys, I am now shot of IBM and I can say things are better on the outside. Less neurotic and people can focus on doing their job as they are not permanently harassed by management. I increased my base pay 40% and have a proper bonus structure now. IBM was keen to keep me and tried to fix my pay/bonus to keep me on board- of course this was nothing to do with PBCs or my age, just that I had $25m of business lined up for which they'd have struggled to replace me. It Greenbacks or Rupees that speak now I am afraid. If you are good my advice is get out. -Big Z-

Comment 08/09/09: interesting article in Huffington Post on outsourcing from former Senator Fritz Hollings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-ernest-frederick-hollings/no-ones-minding-the-store_b_253386.html -nobody-

Comment 08/09/09: fellow Dallas call center Reps, "Soon to be resourced IBM call center rep's" There is no 'Hoping to Stay". The deal is done on the move to Co. OPT in the Class action overtime law suit. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/08/09: W3 News: Published on 05 August 2009 Making bench expectations clear. Announcing the new bench management approach.

Our GBS "3D" strategy continues to resonate with clients, and the depth of our expertise and offerings positions IBM as a clear choice in today’s market environment. However, to remain competitive, we must continue to provide clients with compelling solutions for their business; focus on execution; stay informed of the changing market environment; seek out new client relationships at every level, and finally, make every hour count. What each of us does every day translates directly into overall business results and drives our collective success. Utilization is one of the key drivers of business results in any services organization - the deployment of the right skills, at the right time to support client needs and our ability to efficiently use our capacity to drive continuous productivity across our practice. Extended bench time negatively impacts our ability to remain competitive in the marketplace and directly impacts a practitioner's personal utilization – a key PBC measure. Therefore, GBS U.S. is announcing a new approach to the management of practitioners on the bench who are underutilized for an extended period of time. The new approach is based on individual time on the bench and utilization as a performance measure. Referred to as the Bench Management Process (BMP), this process will provide practitioners with low productive time and no planned full-time assignments with a consistent and clear set of expectations and deployment activities. For the very small percentage of our population whose productive time falls below established threshold levels and continues to remain there for an extended period as specified by the process, one of the outcomes could be separation from IBM. The Bench Management Process is a collaborative effort which will require attention and clear communication involving the employee, the RDM, the manager, and the HR Partner to be successful. Managers will personally contact employees who meet the BMP criteria to discuss the process in more detail. Qualifying BMP criteria: Band 1 through 9 practitioners with annual utilization targets, currently on the bench with less than 50% productive time in the most recent 8 weeks, and no full-time assignments confirmed in the next 30 days

Exceptions: All university hires (undergrads & MBAs) for first 6 months and all experienced professional hires for first 8 weeks

Bench is defined by an availability date in the past. Productive time is comprised of productive utilization (funded B&P and internal projects), cost recovery, billable and/or chargeable utilization as well as any vacation, leave-of-absence, short-term disability, and manager-approved education hours.

Productive time is comprised of productive utilization (funded B&P and internal projects), cost recovery, billable and/or chargeable utilization as well as any vacation, leave-of-absence, short-term disability, and manager-approved education hours. -IGS Slave-

Comment 08/08/09: Congrats again, Alliance. Computerworld, this time! They're still laughing all the way to the bank at ruining 16K lives,
but you can bet Sammy ain't happy about all the publicity. Way to go, Alliance. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/08/09: Neal - the Retirement Income Planner at the Fidelity website is free to anyone and the results you type in are saved. You get all the reports and recommendations output. This is all you need. You can then visit any Fidelity store and get free advice. You really do NOT need moneysmart. I found it "investing 101" and young inexperienced people seemed to be assigned to help you. I found one to be actually arrogant and argumentative and would have asked for someone else. But you just do not need it. Start with the Fidelity per above. From there you can get an independent financial planner if you feel you need that, and you may not. The only thing else I want, which is not available by any of the above, is a once-over by a CPA and financial planner that can provide tax planning advice. There was such a person available via the Right Management course on Financial, but he was so awful. The only voice I have ever heard that reversed the location of funds putting bonds in taxable accounts and stock in tax deferred. I asked if he can recommend any books to read that might support his views and he said "no". -anonymous-
Alliance Reply: Please move this discussion to the General Visitors Comments section.

Comment 08/08/09: As a fmr IBM contractor who was laid off this week and my experiences back in 2002, I can say I'm never coming back to IBM again. Layoffs for best perfomance in our team? What a joke. It's like rewarding failure and punishing success. I turned that entire department around and made it more effiicient in one years time. Instead of getting thanks, I get the shaft. IBM in NY is done for. The good news in all of this is there are atleast four NY state assemblyman who are demanding to know why tax breaks are given for job layoffs. -Eddie-

Comment 08/08/09: Gal Friday, How about Lou Dobbs http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/ He would be a great one to have on the union's side -Anonymous-
Alliance Reply: Alliance@IBM has been interviewed on Lou Dobbs several times, in the past.

Comment 08/08/09: To - Soon to be resourced IBM call center rep. Any word on the teams that will be resourced in Dallas? Boulder will be a secured facility. Any US citizens who can get a clearance can apply for positions in boulder. "Atlanta and Dallas Call Centers to be resourced starting Sept 2009...jobs being shipped to call centers in Manila Philippines, Cairo Egypt and a totally manned by contractors center in Boulder Colorado...announcement was made yesterday July 27th... -Soon to be resourced IBM call center rep-" -Hoping to Stay-

Comment 08/07/09: What happened to the Jason Alexander video which was online VERY recently on your site? It was very prescient in asking elementary school children how they would like to work in, for example, Uzbekhistan (sp)? I have often thought that this video was a great summary of outsourcing, and IBM's offer to move to developing markets (what does IBM call those - it isn't third world, isn't developing nations, Um, Uh, ...) and 'A Smarter Planet'. Was this video withdrawn from your site? -Video?-
Alliance Reply: I removed it from the front page, because the 'link' to the video expired. That link 'was' outsourceoutrage.com and no longer takes the user to the video. I did however, find the video on YouTube (poor quality) and I will be putting the images and the link to the YouTube video, back on the front page asap. Thank you for your support. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIiwrPFQQq8

Comment 08/07/09: Article on recent cuts:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136360/IBM_union_Layoffs_could_hit_16_000_by_year_s_end?taxonomyId=1 -member-

Comment 08/07/09: To Gal Friday - I think you are definitely on to something. For those of you who don't think it will get results check out these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

http://tinyurl.com/lmoo3f

http://tinyurl.com/ma89ue

The court of public opinion drives what politicians do. And, the people on the video don't have to be real IBMers - they aren't real IBMers on the TV ads. They are actors...(union by the way). Only the stories need to be real. -annonymous-

Comment 08/07/09: Here is the email I wrote last night and sent to Kevin Smith, writer and director of Clerks. I started with him because he has a reputation for listening and being accessible. I know it's crazy, but hey, stranger things have happened:
"I am writing you a wild-ass, completely out-of-left-field email to ask you to make a short (like 6 minutes) movie. For free. Yeah, stop laughing. See, here's the thing. US jobs are being offshored at the rate of up to 20,000 per month. Sooner or later, you are going to have a friend or a family member or a neighbor who has lost their job because it went overseas. A study published in 2004 by the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations suggested that that figure could increase by 30-40% over 5 years. That equates to millions of American jobs that will have been lost by the end of this decade. Speaking personally, my husband and I live in constant fear of his IT job disappearing. He flies 6 hours out of state every Sunday, and comes home at midnight every Friday. He gets 36 hours a week with our kids. He has gotten raises totalling 2.5% in the past 8 years (yes, his income now is only 2.5% more than in 2001), despite the fact that his performance reviews are always in the top few boxes. And every few months, IBM, that bastion of American can-do, cuts another few hundred or few thousand jobs in his division - people just like him, who work their tails off, get great reviews, and WANT to put up with the travelling, long hours and stagnant wages. Sooner or later, it's going to be his job. No one is safe anymore at IBM, Dell, Delta... or any other company that offshores their jobs." -Gal Friday-

Comment 08/07/09: Re: -MN- Thanks for the info. And also the comment about the "MoneySmart" program. I did that before I left and it was "kinda" worthwhile for me and may be really good for some folks. As I remember, the presentation(s) were worthless as were the online calculators except for the big app from Fidelity. If you're going to do it, then spend a lot of time filling out that big app before you see the Fidelity person. Otherwise, you spend all your time filling it out there. It could take you a couple of hours to do it your self at home. Something to note: they do a "small" monte Carlo analysis at the end for 3 results: much worse, worse, and average. They don't say anything about "better than average". That's probably Ok as long as you realize that. You can get the same app off the Fidelity website except that you can't save the result. With MoneySmart, you can save it for a month (I think) so make sure you print it out. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 08/07/09: Bench Management Policy: Qualifying BMP criteria: Band 1 through 9 practitioners with annual utilization targets, currently on the bench with less than 50% productive time in the most recent 8 weeks, and no full-time assignments confirmed in the next 30 days Exceptions: All university hires (undergrads & MBAs) for first 6 months and all experienced professional hires for first 8 weeks Bench is defined by an availability date in the past. Productive time is comprised of productive utilization (funded B&P and internal projects), cost recovery, billable and/or chargeable utilization as well as any vacation, leave-of-absence, short-term disability, and manager-approved education hours. Full-time assignments (defined as billable, chargeable or funded B&P)must be at least 4 weeks in length and require at least 32 hours/week. -anonymous-

Comment 08/07/09: MN, irRational, True story regarding internal transfers! I had the the PowerPC group gunning to bring me in after being laid off in HSS. After nothing happened for weeks, my manager agreed to set up a meeting with the head of PPC, who told me since they were both part of STG, they would have to fire someone to hire. He told me to certainly ping him later if there were positions open. He had hired people back eight months after laying them off and said he would do it again if he could. In the end, the coworkers who pointed me to sales were right on. You have to aim yourself at least four levels up into an entirely different organization to avoid affecting the headcount of the organization who let you go. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/07/09: To -Gal Friday-. You are about to discover that in general, society does not care about IBMers plights. IBMers in the public's eyes are all overpaid Republicans and are just getting a taste of what everyone else has dealt with all these years when things were good at IBM. I wish this was not true and I applaud your efforts. If we could get enough IBMers to sign up, the press coverage at IBM union meetings to ratify IBM's labor contracts being forced down managements throats would get so much publicity for American workers in similar situations it would be amazing. I am afraid you will see things similar to the Womens Rights groups so vocal in our society who stood mute when Sarah Palin was attacked and her family was attacked by Democrats. Who people profess to be and what people profess to stand for are sometimes totally different when it comes time to stand up against the crowd for what is right. In our society asking congress persons and senators to actually read a bill before voting on it gets you labeled as a "MOB". I would not expect any help from outside IBM. Unfortunately there is far too little help from within IBM also. Join the union. Stand with those of us who ARE standing against the tide and saying no more. Our King, Leonides, No wait, that was another 300 who stood against all odds in the past. I wonder if those who have been RA'd could send a donation to the Alliance then sign their Emails within IBM to co workers as So and So, Alliance@IBM CWA supporter. Maybe this would spread the word faster within IBM and help with signing new members? I don't think you can be fired after you have been fired can you?? Good luck in any efforts you make on behalf of the organization of IBM and in your life as well. -Exodus2007-

Comment 08/07/09: MN. If you can find a job within IBM take it to keep benefits. Continue to look on the outside though in case something better comes along. Times are tough and things are bad so the primary game is to keep as much salary and benefits as you can but consider what has happened as a warning to get out when you can if you can. Everyones situation is different depending on skills as well as geography. A person with crazy mad skills in computers living in IOWA's corn belt does not have much of a local job market. With the housing market depressed and mortgages underwater it may be impossible for folks to move for better opportunity. A person with ongoing health problems within their family dare not lose insurance coverage. Todays economy is not a good place to be job hunting needless to say. What no one knows is how secure is any job in IBM anymore? Without a contract you have no idea. With a contract you at least know that for the length of the contract you will have a job. Keep it in perspective. Its a job. Its not a career anymore. It pays the bills . It does not define who you are. Its just a tool you use to survive. Like a plow to a farmer it allows you to get food. Separation from a job you have done and people you have worked with for a long time is traumatic to say the least. I retired of my own free will and I still was depressed and somewhat lost because after 30 years I defined myself by my job. I can imagine it is much worse to have it hit you suddenly not of your own choice. As time has gone on I realized how much the job intruded into my family life. I no longer cringe when the phone rings. I can make social plans and have an excellant chance of actually doing them. When you list the pro\'s and the cons of working for IBM, once you get past salary, benefits and coworkers you are pretty much out of pro\'s. Considering that you can also list these three things as cons in some cases really puts things in perspective. Above everything else try not to be angry. Your anger will only hurt your health and your loved ones. That is what is really important in the grand scheme of things. Take a deep breath, plot your course and get underway. Best of luck to all. --

Comment 08/07/09: What GBS Bench Management Policy? No bench for me to even rest my a$$ on for a second; I got the 30-day door! Whatever happened to the office chair? -GBSsucks-

Comment 08/07/09: RE: Looking for another job within IBM: I agree with the others. Don't bother, it's a waste of time. If you have been ra'd you are on the black list. Nobody will touch you. I applied for 6 jobs I was qualified for, was turned down by 1, the other 5 did not even respond. Pleas to my manager to help out were useless. Spend your last 30 days getting things in order, looking for another job, and taking care of number 1. Do no more work for IBM what so ever. Take care of yourself. If there was a UNION in place, you would in fact be able to post for and get another job if it were available. As long as you are an AT WILL employee, they will laugh at your job application, at will. -gone_in_07-

Comment 08/07/09: To recent RAs, use the Job-Cuts-Stats tool to calculate the total employees RAed in your division (see sticky note at top of this page). Then report the total back here. It will help in tallying the total carnage for the year and the Press does monitor this site. Also calcs RAs by age so you can see the age discrimination. Good luck to all. -Liberated in Apr09-

Comment 08/07/09: >>Basically after certain amount of time on bench you will automatically be notified of option to take seperation package.
-RTP_B8-, how many weeks are in the 'forced' separation package? Is it considered 'voluntary resignation' and thus exempt from UI and the other benefits of the 26 week package? -anonymouse-

Comment 08/06/09: I like the idea of creating a viral video. I think something around the "I'm an IBM'er" theme would be good. Start with some BRIC country employees, then follow up with American's saying "I was an IBM'er." -Incognito-

Comment 08/06/09: If you did not catch the new GBS Bench Management Policy - look for it in the w3 news archive for GBS. It was released yesterday and briefly appeared on W3 home page. The hope is that fewer people will notice it. If you are in GBS ask your manager about the policy and make sure you understand. My manager 'unofficially' told it to me. Basically after certain amount of time on bench you will automatically be notified of option to take seperation package. If you do not take the package and be still on bench for another 4 weeks then they will terminate you without package. -RTP_B8-

Comment 08/06/09: @Silly Willy - I've just set up an email addy - I'm happy to help but I have to protect my better half, know what I mean? We'd be living in a cardboard box if we lost the IBM salary in this economy. I might be able to get a GREAT videographer involved but what we really need is people who would be willing to go on camera. This really could be a starting point not just for exposing IBM but also for other companies who screw their employees while holding themselves up as great American corporate citizens. You can reach me at exposeibm@yahoo.com One final thought while I'm beating the public awareness drum... it would take a while and some money to organize a professionally produced spot. But anybody can make their own youtube clip with a webcam. AND, we have the I-Report tool on Cnn.com - we need everyone who has been RAd to start talking. Tell the world who you are, how many years of service you had, what your story is. We need to ask our friends and neighbors to help take up our cause - for too long, American workers have been trampled in the name of profit and "shareholder value." IBM is just our particular target, but they are just one of many. -Gal Friday-

Comment 08/06/09: -Neal Watkins - The 401K contribution limits are decided by the IRS and are for the sum of all your 401K's - Look under contribution limits here - http://www.irs.gov/retirement/article/0,,id=119625,00.html or simple google it. Everyone, please remember you have 120 days of access to IBM's moneysmart program - free, for which they pay. Make use of it. And for the one's who recommended, I not look for positions in IBM, something's wrong with me...I found 5 position, did not formally apply, but circulating my resume, do have the temp work lined up, which offers no benefits and it's very short-term..sigh...13 years and what did they do to me ? My fault. I should have taken responsibility for my career, and I did, but they never supported me, they never had money for anything in my IDP, 3 years in a row. I am even considering not signing the separation package, what if their is a class-action suit, do I want to be left out of that ? Exodus - your thoughts ? -MN-

Comment 08/06/09: BoyBlue I heard the same for Canada support centre, except that the project target completion was for Q2 2010. -samseescallgirls-

Comment 08/06/09: >> I often wonder why IBM promotes this search-internal nonsense.
WHY????? I saw it first hand with two fired employees in my department. They checked the job postings with due diligence, they applied for the jobs, they recorded the jobs, they interviewed for the jobs, they were polite to the sadistic manager and team leader who urged them to look for the jobs, they were told they MIGHT be chosen for the jobs........until JUST before their leave date. They were then TURNED DOWN for the jobs, with the old 'oh we can't bring you into another area' bull crap. Guess what they did NOT do while they were believing the lying management and team leaders while looking for the jobs? Goofing off, doing the minimum, not agreeing to the extra month of training their overseas replacement that was not included in the first month of threats, exhaling, ruminating on the waste of their career and lives at a miserable company that used them up and threw them away -- and all that jazz. That's right, their strings were pulled right until their very last breath at IBM. Nice, don't you think? But hey, unionize, don't unionize, it's your choice 29%. By the way, being away from IBM is pure heaven. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/06/09: I 2nd the vote for not wasting time trying to find a new job in IBM. I tried and felt like I had the plague once the new mgr heard I was RA'ed. -anonymous-

Comment 08/06/09: To GhostOfIBMKingston and Outsourced with 29 years... I was 22 years and age 46 (found out on my birthday; lovely...) when I "got hit". Cash balance pension is just that. There is no "retirement age" for the cash balance other than if you want to take monthly payments. I moved mine to an IRA asap, and got ALL my money out of IBM (rolled my 401k as well). As for FHA, it's gone. Plain and simple. Hissstooooreeee. That was a big chunk of what helped IBM pay for my severnace! Unless you really, really, retire, the FHA is gone. The ESC told me this one (and I called several times just to make sure I was getting consisten answers). Basically, I ate it all, took my money out of IBM, still on TMP/COBRA for now, and going to get private insurance RSN. It sounds more frightening than it is. Not fun, but definitely taking control of your own destiny now, which we should all have done before, such as JOIN A UNION! -RAed in Jan-

Comment 08/06/09: http://www.crn.com/software/219100239;jsessionid=G3W0YK53SWX4ZQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN
Layoffs Coming Within IBM Global Business Services: Report
-overtheedge- THANK YOU. I have been trying to say something about this too. Guys - let's not attack the bloggers. United we Stand. I'd like to propose that at the bottom of each of our comments, we indicate if we HAVE joined the union or if we can't (RA'd like me) we've DONATED to the union. I've donated - will send more once I find my next gig. btw - my close friends and family, when I told them about being laid off, they are actually HAPPY for me. They have seen how hard I've worked (weekends, OT, no Holidays) for 23 years. We should have known the DAY they took "Respect for the Individual" out of the mission
statement - the statement that Watson put there himself.
Gal Friday - awesome idea! YouTube is a very powerful place to start and could well get on real national news from there. Alliance - can
you help coordinate volunteers ? How / who could we contact directly for this? Girl Friday, could you maybe give us an email id ? I have
some High School friends who may have ideas - they send me stuff all the time.
MN - from my experience and what I've seen/read, unless you have VP-level support, the job you are seeking generates REVENUE or sales, you have some knowledge or skill that is unique and hard-to-find, your salary is in line with that new job, that job isn't going away - fageddaboutit. Call Right Management ASAP and get started on your resume. If you're like me and have only ever worked for IBM, it's painful and slow getting that resume ready for today's marketplace and "non-IBM" readers. I often wonder why IBM promotes this search-internal nonsense. I suppose there is a reason they have to keep us around for 30 days (reduce the risk to themselves) and if they have us busy doing internal job searches chances are we won't have idle hands to do harm to them. -silly willy-
Alliance reply: Actually ex-IBMers CAN join the Alliance. You just would not be eligible to vote in a union recognition election.
The Alliance is a big tent for those concerned about and advocate for IBMers and tech workers in general.

Comment 08/06/09: Here's a question that someone can maybe answer. If you get sacked and you decide to just retire with the pension,
then it's probably in your interest to max out your 401K deduction (asap) and thus reduce your AGI for the IRS. But, if you get another job with a 401K too, does the 401K max apply to the sum of your 401Ks? I know you get a w2 at the end of the year showing the 401K deduction and in this case you will get 2 W2s. Inquiring minds want to know.. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 08/06/09: >>does it make sense to look inside IBM at this point as being advised by HR and IBM?
No, -MN-. None whatsoever. HR and IBM are lying to you. You're on notice? Then you're marked and all possible hiring managers will be told NOT to bring you on.
>>I was just being facetious...The time is ripe to organize and form a union.
Gotcha, -quimby-. On the last point, you are 100% correct. However, 79% ignored this advice for the last 30 years, I don't have much faith that the remaining 21% are going to wake up.
>>We contact journalists all the time and they watch this web site.
Yes, they do, e-week proved that. I think that's excellent. Even though the Iron Giant continues to crush the loyal employee, their press ain't so rosy. Remember folks, it was ONLY Lee and Janet (and others at the Senate Hearing in 1999) and the Alliance who had the stones to counter the sadists at IBM. We all owe them an enormous debt of gratitude. So, contribute, and continue to speak here about what you went through. And to you sheeple, read here and THINK.

>>I truly miss Lou Gerstner.
You're kidding, right? Guess who started the slaughter? Guess who did the same thing at RJR? Guess who told people to 'get a dog' if they
wanted loyalty? Guess who told unhappy employees who were screwed out of pension and medical in 1999 to 'get over it'? Guess who picked Sam in his own image? Guess who still rides around in helicopters while 10K employees have had their lives ruined? Guess who still lives in
his Greenwich mansion while 10K employees are in dire straits? Well. Guess. Right. Three fingered Lou, who didn't even have the brains not
to put his fingers in a moving larn mower.
>>Do not get angry with each other because other then not joining the union in the numbers needed to force a contract there is really
nothing you can do about it.
Amen, -Exodus2007-.

NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/06/09: For the one person that is 48 with 29 years service, try very hard to get the bridge to 30. You are in that age group that I suspect IBM is really focusing on. When IBM went to Cash Balance plan, they made a cutoff that all employees under 40 lost the old pension plan. But when they got sued, they went back and gave some 38 & 39 year old employees additional transition credits, and also this thing called an Enhanced Annuity. But the kicker is that you have to make it 30 years service to get the Enhanced Annuity. The Pension examples I saw indicated it could be around a 25% kicker on your retirement annuity from the Personal Pension Account (PPA). As for the Future Health Account, I think you have to be 55 years old (regardless of service) when you separate, to qualify for that. I think there is definitely age discrimination going on, but targetted at ages that involve extra long-term contractual costs. -3/26Out-

Comment 08/06/09: Guys, am on notice, does it make sense to look inside IBM at this point as being advised by HR and IBM?
No, it makes little sense to look inside. IBM likes to maintain for the press this happy fiction of finding other jobs for RA'd people, since it makes them look better. I personally know only one person of many dozens who were RA'd from my site over the past couple of years that managed to find another internal job, and he was a manager. I know of several who interviewed for and were actually offered another internal position before being told, oh, so sorry, that stuff we said about looking for another job? Not true. If you're RA'd you aren't really going to be allowed to avoid the chop. (Irritating both the RA'd and the groups who wanted their skills.) My advice: Don't waste your time looking inside. Spend it looking outside. -irRational-

Comment 08/06/09: -MN-, it all depends on the rules around your separation package. For those of us effected by the 3/26 RA in Application Services, you had to transfer (no DOU) to the hiring organization for an assignment at least 12 months in duration. Additionally you had to get VP approval from your org and the hiring org for the transfer. If you are under the same rules I'd advise against wasting time looking inside IBM as you won't get approval (I am not aware of anyone notified on 3/26 of finding a new internal job). Save yourself the aggravation and focus on a post IBM career. -Incognito-

Comment 08/06/09: Another thought - we need to see if we can get a viral campaign going. Anyone know a videographer? We need to put a face on all the people - with IBM and other companies - who have seen their jobs outsourced to India. If we could get a high-quality video testimonial made and start distributing it on you tube, sending it (instead of just an email to our reps) distributing it to news feeds etc, it might help raise general awareness among our fellow citizens. If we take the approach used by the Obama campaign (like it or hate it, those guys did have a great marketing strategy) and do a montage of people repeating their stories - we will get a spotlight on this as a human interest story. This issue affects our whole country - not just us and our families. We need a PR campaign. -Gal Friday-

Comment 08/06/09: To Outsourced with 29 years of service. A few people in my area were actually offered a bridge to retirement who were within one year of their retirement eligibility. On the criminal cash balance plan you got in 1999, it won't make a difference, except possibly in keeping your FHA. If you have a really good first line, he might try to bridge you to retirement. Don't bet on it though you are close to 30 years. -GhostOfIBMKingston-

Comment 08/06/09: Rumor has it that IBM Canada Country Support Call Center division is moving to another country by year end. -BoyBlue-

Comment 08/06/09: Those who have not joined the alliance. Here is a reason
http://www.zdnetasia.com/techjobs/jobs/0,3800009332,44932145p,00.htm -About to be outsourced!-

Comment 08/06/09: Guys, am on notice, does it make sense to look inside IBM at this point as being advised by HR and IBM ? I already don't trust these guys, but the thought that what if I find something lingers. I do have some temp consulting work lined up, no benefits though. Not looking for notes filled with hatred / anger / or because how poorly we have been treated. It is what it is. EXODUS2007, I appreciate your responses as appropriate. Do advise. Thanks.. -MN-

Comment 08/06/09: I agree completely that sabotage is not the way to go, I was just being facetious and using iron filings as a metaphor for taking action should you be required to train your replacements. Organization is the way to fight back because power comes when people gather in numbers. Each one of us fighting our own battle will never give any of us strength. What we are doing right now is trying to play blackjack with an opponent who holds all the face cards. The time is ripe to organize and form a union. -quimby-

Comment 08/06/09: Perception is Reality. If you are wondering why you were RA'd this is why. It was percieved that IBM could save money by getting rid of you, or your group, or your business unit, etc. Do not get angry with each other because other then not joining the union in the numbers needed to force a contract there is really nothing you can do about it. One performers as well as threes are being released. Job performance has NOTHING to do with it. It really never has but it sounded great to blame the people being let go as " Attitude" problems or under achievers, or low ten performers or not meeting objectives so no one would realize the ax was coming for us all one by one. Divide and conquer worked well for IBM. Unite and conquer will work well for us. Questions on your pensions or benefits. Flood Fidelity with phone calls. Its your right and obligation as you are no longer needed by IBM to get the answers you need to help secure your futures. It is so important I would do NO WORK until I had the answers I needed to plan for my future after IBM. After all, your work is not needed or appreciated by IBM so why continue to do it?. I would not sabotage anything with iron filings as someone suggested as this would be a crime but take a lesson from a famous leader in India. Ghandi believed in passive resistance. IBM embraces India so they must embrace this ideal also. Meditate 45 minutes out of every hour you must spend at IBM in your final month. This will clense your spirit to make you happier and not bitter for external job interviews. The faster you get rid of the anger, hatred, bitterness and any other bad feelings this experience has left you with the better off YOUR life will be. You came to IBM looking for a job and you are leaving the same way. Nothing more and nothing less. Good luck to all. -Exodus2007-

Comment 08/06/09: Does anyone know if anyone in marketing has been affected by the layoffs? I'm not seeing any sales layoffs or marketing layoffs and find this very odd since they don't really do much except have meetings and throw marketing phrases at each other like "road to market" etc. Also does anyone know if any job cuts are hitting Austin, TX? Lot of fat marketers getting big bonuses they don't deserve in Austin. Why don't we send Sam some of our thoughts. It might not do anything but I think we need to tell the guy responsible for all this pain and suffering what we think. He helped destroy my 15yr career with IBM due to his imcompetence. BRING BACK LOU!!! I truly miss Lou Gerstner. I was proud to work for him, I'm ashamed to have worked for Sam. 15 years and all the thanks I got was a kick in the pants. Email sam at sam@us.ibm.com -Anonymous-

Comment 08/06/09: Ok, in addition to joining the union, what can we each be doing EVERY DAY to raise awareness of the sick joke that is Big Blue? Should we each email the President every week? Our representatives? Can we find a donor to help fund a big ad in the NYT or WSJ with an open letter exposing the reality of IBM? Can we start a list of business journalists and email them, all the time, with updates and story ideas? I'm in marketing - never worked for IBM but went through something similar at PwC a while back - just stupid stupid cost cutting decisions that always weaken the company in the long run, though they are too short sighted to see it. How can we keep this issue front and center in front of the right people? My better half has been with IBM for 10+ years and we are both carrying around the knowledge that eventually, inevitably, we will be affected by an RA. Makes it really tough to board that plane every Sunday and leave the family behind, knowing that you have exactly 36 hours a week at home with your loved ones. -Gal Friday-
Alliance reply: Yes contact all your political leaders about IBM. Tell them about the job cuts and offshoring. Tell them how IBM is treating employees. Break the myth of IBM being a good employer and help break the silence inside IBM.
We contact journalists all the time and they watch this web site. We encourage everyone to do the same. Focus on the business reporters, local reporters and tech industry writers.
For instance: the call centers in Dallas and Atlanta, everyone who is being affected by this should be pushing the media and their co-workers to expose what is going on.

Comment 08/06/09: Alliance -- any updates on membership numbers for 2009? I know that following the March RAs, the increase in membership was disappointing. I would like to know whether any of those left at IBM are getting the message, or are people just whining and venting here without taking one bit of action? -PurplePeopleEater-
Alliance reply: We wish we could report good news but unfortunately our membership growth has been terrible. Only a handful have joined as dues paying members or even as free subscribers (those that support the Alliance). On top of that we are losing some members due to job cuts.
We ask our members and supporters to reach out to their co-workers and tell them about the Alliance.
We also encourage employees and ex-employees to contact Lee Conrad at ibmunionalliance@gmail.com and let him know why you have not joined the Alliance. Honest dialogue please.

Comment 08/06/09: >>Essentially, you fell into the sheep bucket.
OH BOY are you right, -quimby-. The last 29% who turn out the lights will prove this. The sadistic throat cutting mavericks are chosen for management and team leading and executive positions. The nice guys, the sheeple, who finish last and get fired, are chosen to be employees.

>>A few paper clips inside PC's do wonders

Nope, sabotage is not the way to go. I was screwed by an unethical manager and team leader, but I do NOT advocate sabotage. Unionizing is the way to go. The last 29%, if they don't unionize, WILL BE SCREWED. But hey, if they don't unionize, it's their problem.

>>Any thoughts??? -Outsourced-

Yes. You're screwed. IBM wins, again. You should have unionized.

>>Without a Union, they can and will fire you at will.

That's right, -gone_in_07-, that's absolutely right. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/06/09: All of the latest people being fired are among those hanging in there for years, reading this site thinking it happens to other people, but not them. Now it's, "lets do something about it." TOO LATE people! For those of you not affected this time, you will be affected next time and be on here posting lets do something, so wake up and do something now, before your time is also too late. Without a Union, they can and will fire you at will. -gone_in_07-

Comment 08/06/09: Calling in to get info on FHA and retirment options after layoff and getting someone in India?who has no clue what the accurate answers to the questions are. Adding a bit of insult to injury..why not. -Ironic isn't It?-

Comment 08/06/09: 29 years service and 48 years of age ..was switched to "new" pension plan in 99 ....laid off last week. Lose Future Health account? Also, not able to retire under new plan due to age!? Any thoughts??? -Outsourced-

Comment 08/06/09: 3600 Steeles Markham location. 30-50 India/Brazil coming to Canada for training starting Mid-August/2009. Our last day is November 28/2009 range. The sector affecting 400-500 staffs are part of ITD. Been with this company over 10 years and this is what we get. Ridiculous. It is quality vs quantity. When will IBM wake up that they cant replace us?? -Anonymous-

Comment 08/05/09: badnewsbares::: You make valid points! I do not wish to offend anyone, but IBM employees are hired and cultivated to think like they do. It is no coincidence that people as a whole do not want a union it is by design. That psycho test you took when hired classified you, along with your interviews. Essentially, you fell into the sheep bucket. A good friend of mine used to work for IBM in personnel as a psychologist and right from the horse's mouth, most of you are no accident.....The old timers will recall that seeing a person walk out of the office with IBM pencils in their pocket, or not wearing wing tips or a white shirt was a travesty. Most people would say WTF, not IBM'ers though. My advice to people RA is to "teach" your replacements "real good"..Sure, that CPU card can be replaced concurrently...sure....go ahead...etc... Just don't make it obvious... A few paper clips inside PC's do wonders...Best of all, iron filings..Now there is an area where you can do some great work. Ok, I'm sure most of you are ready to kill me at this point but before you do, think, listen, reflect and now act.. What has IBM done for *YOU* compared to what *you* have done for IBM... Stop being a sheep, start being a partisan and join the fight. Like I said iron filings are a great tool as is disinformation..... Also, I don't expect the CWA to approve of gorilla tactics, and they shouldn't but at the employee level, just don't bend over and take it. Fight back anyway you can. Good luck! Yes IBM customers are waking up just like Dell customers did when support was sent to India. Guess what? It doesn't mean a hill of beans. Bottom line is money. Do it cheaper and you win the contract even if 1/2 your people talk like they just walked out of a 7-11 or Mobil/Exxon station. Sorry but that's the truth. -quimby-
Alliance Reply: The Alliance does not approve or condone sabotage. Organizing a union is the way to go.

Comment 08/05/09: Many more layoffs than what you have announced. I was in the software brand and it was much more than me those happened on june 1 but I got an extension for 30 days so last day was aug 3 -S-

Comment 08/05/09: Seriously ... do you not see the circular reference? News report says there are "hundreds" of jobs cut ... based on quote by Lee. All due respect to Lee, but he is going by the numbers as reported by "someone" here. So now, if I say there were thousands RA'ed this week, will I see a news report - quoting Lee - that thousands were laid off ? Believe me, I am not happy about the situation: I am a 9-yr employee, RA'ed yesterday. I'm hurting. But screeds without base do not help. We should be asking, WHY DOESN'T SOMEONE FORCE IBM TO TELL THE TRUTH ?? thanks. -anonymous-
Lee Conrad reply: I told the media that close to 200 employees were selected for resource actions.
In GBS Industrial Section the actual count is 184, based on the Resource Action package I received. I also received emails from other employees who said other divisions were also impacted. They gave me their names. I am waiting for RA packs from them. I stand by what I said to the media and I do not rely soley on comments from anonymous sources. But to be honest many of the sources have been right on the money.

Comment 08/05/09: I'm totally sickened and disgusted at this point. I'm at the end of my rope and can't take this crap from ibm anymore. I've started a job hunt. Better to find search out the market now and find something before they ax me. My job is headed to boulder or iowa, it's just a matter of time now. I hate to say this, and I do hope I am wrong, but with all the layoffs going around in the US, there won't be anyone left in the US to join a union in the near future. -liz-in-pants-

Comment 08/05/09: Nothing changes on this site! You hanger ons at IBM are just a bunch of losers afraid to do anything. I guarantee that life is a lot better if you get out of this hellhole IBM. IBM management treats you like crap and abuses you. Why? Because you have no guts and no balls. You are afraid to band together and form a Union. I've been out of this IBM nuthouse for a few years and and all I see is the same whining and crying but you do nothing about it. For your own good band together and get a Union going. Sammy will just continue to abuse you until that happens. -GoneFromBigBlow-

Comment 08/05/09: Comments are getting more and more hateful - toward EACH OTHER. We have a common enemy, and it is neither former nor soon-to-be former employees -overtheedge-

Comment 08/05/09: "Net, the US is going to 3 sites. One in each of the following states: CO, IA, & NY. If you are not at one of these sites, your days are numbered"
That's a bit over the top. Every US employee will NOT be working out of a GDF. Certain accounts are targeted for GDFs, and under those accounts, certain support roles (Unix and Intel, DCA, DBA, MiddleWare, etc). -anonymous-

Comment 08/05/09: -RTPfatnHappycamper- Who says that IBM would not just up and move out of RTP? If some other state or some other country gives the IBM executives a sweetheart deal better than NC and RTP is offering who says they wouldn't do it? Don't be too fat 'n and happy. It's not good for you in this IBM. -anonymous-

Comment 08/05/09: I'm not up on all the latest changes so everything I say here should be assumed to start with "allegedly" and end with "I think". I posted this a while ago but it's been archived and I can't find it so here it comes since it's deja vue all over again. I "retired" (RA'd) in 2007 with the old pension plan.
----------------------------------
Here's my advice for the sequence that I encountered:

1) Call the Employees Service Center (ESC) asap. They will assign you a benefits coordinator. That's the person you work with for your pension and medical choices. This can take a while to make contact so you need to get this started as soon as you can.
2) The estimator tool is very close but not precise. The ESC needs to schedule an official calculation of retirement benefits. (My official one was $1 more than the estimator.)
3) They send you a package with your pension choice (you told the coordinator). Sign and return asap too.
4) It can take a month or more to get your pension started so make sure you have cash in the meantime. It is retroactive to your effective date though.
5) Be aware. Retirement is effective at the end of the month BUT you will get the first paycheck of that month and your manager has your last paycheck (maybe separation check too) in their desk. You are off the payroll system after that first check. Make your 401K deduction choice far enough ahead to be in that last check.
6) There is a lot of "jiggling" with your name on lists. Off this list...on that list. It takes time to settle.
7) Make every Dr. appointment before you are off the system. Order all Rx drugs too. See that dermatologist you always wanted. Do it while you are still on the active list.
8) Medical:
a) I chose TMP/COBRA. This continues my current plan choices. Otherwise, I would have had to sign up for all new plans under the retiree choices. See netbenefits to see the retiree choices.
b) Dental and vision are automatically switched to the retiree plan. TMP/COBRA is available for medical only.
c) They bill me for it until the pension starts where they would take it out automatically
9) Get organized:
a) keep notes on all conversations with the ESC: dates, times, who you talked to, what was said...
b) get a file for home to keep all the stuff in - you will get a lot
c) The web site has a checklist for separation/retirement. Print it - follow it
d) print any other docs you can find
10) GUL - Maybe you signed up for a lot of extra insurance so your family would have money if you died and didn't get a pension. Now is the time to reduce that - maybe you got the pension.
11) I recommend the 100% spouse replacement option for your pension. Discuss it with your spouse.
12) Discuss it all with your spouse. This is a big deal and they need to be involved.
13) I called Vanguard to set up a rollover IRA of my 401K. I got the accounts,etc ready to accept the money.
a) As long as you are 59 1/2 (or better), you can transfer into an IRA anytime
b) Do you like Financial Engines (off the 401K website)? Don't transfer all the money at once. You lose the link.
c) In fact, you can do it in stages. The plan limits you to 4 withdraws a year.
d) I used Vanguard and got Financial Engines through them instead of IBM.
14) I transferred my 401K to a Vanguard IRA. Go on the 401K website and follow the prompts to do a rollover. Make sure it's a ROLLOVER! As you fill out the steps in the request, you will get to a point where they say "The check will be sent to your address on record". Important !!! -> there is a link to fill in the address of a financial institution. Do that! You should have already spoken with the company. Then you see how the check is to be written. ==> The Vanguard Group, F/B/O "your name". (F/B/O = For Benefit Of)
You do NOT want the check to be made out to you directly !!! This is so very important !!! They sent the check by ordinary mail. All I did was send it on to Vanguard. This whole process can take a week or more.
15) Medical, dental,etc is not automatically taken from your retirement check. You need to fill in the forms to make that happen. More time passes...you will get a bill in the mail for those things until the auto-deduction kicks in.
16) FYI - hopefully not soon a) your pension and your wife's part of it come from different accounts. If you die, your wife needs to contact the ESC asap so her part can start. Meanwhile, a check or 2 of yours has come but you are not around anymore. That money has to be returned to IBM. (Only an accountant could love this system...)
17) Got any old stock options? They time out soon after you leave (90 days). Check the web site.
18) Getting a retirement gift? Went online and didn't see anything you liked or the one you liked was discontinued? You have a year to claim it. Check every couple of weeks. The selection changes.
19) Watch out for IRS tax witholding. Especially the first year. They may withold too little tax because your pension check is smaller (maybe a lower tax bracket rate). BUT - you may have worked for part of the year and thus your total income for the year is still high.
20) HCSA (Health Care Spending Account) coverage is selectable under COBRA, but it's terms/rules change under COBRA (vs terms/rules as active employee). HCSA allows you to contribute tax-advantaged (pre-tax) dollars to an account that IBM (thru Aclaris?) administers. Each year, you file claims against the dollars in the account by submitting EOBs, receipts, for covered medical expenses, up to the amount you contributed to account in the calendar year. Well, HCSA coverage under COBRA changes to AFTER-TAX dollars only
plus there's now a 2% surcharge for administration. As such, it really doesn't make sense to carry HCSA under COBRA since it looses it's tax-advantaged benefit AND there's a 2% cost for the privledge.
21) HSA (Healthcare Savings Account). IBM pre-funds it with the whole amount and you get to pay them back each paycheck. SO ! Use it ALL up before you leave - stick them with the rest.
22) Again, watch out for income tax the first year especially if you have a pension or get another job. You paid the IRS while you were working and out of the severance check. BUT your pension or other job may withhold at a lower rate so you get stuck with owing the IRS at the end of the year since you had wages+severance+pension/job -
probably a higher AGI than before. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 08/05/09: Was a consistent 1/2+ performer for ~12 years when I was selected for RA (ITD Canada) in June as a result of Global Resourcing. 3 weeks later I received an unsolicited request to return as a (client project funded) contractor in a different group based on my knowledge and skill, however HR nixed the opportunity. When I contacted HR to find out why, I was told that I cannot return as a contractor or employee for 1 year (regardless of any business need for my skills) due to the cost savings associated with my separation.
-Taking my knowledge elsewhere-

Comment 08/05/09: I am continually amazed at those who appear to have just found this site. Talking about banding together and writing everyone from the president to congress to governors and state leaders. It is a bit late for that. Unless a large majority of the employees still employed by IBM join the Alliance and provide financial support, save your keystrokes. NO ONE cares!!! Repeat, NO ONE cares!!! IBM currently holds ALL THE CARDS. If you wish to play in the game you need to ANTE up (join the union). If you do not, you are just whistling in the wind. I am retired but have sent numerous emails, letters and made phone calls to everyone I could think of. Got very nice responses that one can wipe their butt with. Stop being angry and start doing something productive!!! -badnewsbares-

Comment 08/05/09: >>Get your facts right before posting palsies -RTPfatnHappycamper-
Management, are you? Nice try. Two lawsuits against IBM? Good.
>>IBM customers are beginning to wake-up.
Are they? Good. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/05/09: IBM customers are beginning to wake-up. They now realize that they are getting second class support for first class charges. IBM will tank because of the stupid business model that serves only to enrich the 3,500 Lettered Executives (Greedy Bastards) who have raped stockholders, bondholders, employees, retiree's and most importantly customers. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/05/09: Not certain of the exact numbers but hundreds or thousands have been affected this last week in Dallas and Atlanta. This includes Hardware Call Handling, Entitlement, User Support Group, and others. The jobs are going to Cairo, Egypt, Manila, Phillipines, and Manpower in Boulder, Co. Many older workers are out and losing Future Medical Accounts along with retirement. -OutsourcedinDallas-

Comment 08/05/09: "Net, the US is going to 3 sites. One in each of the following states: CO, IA, & NY. If you are not at one of these sites, your days are numbered"
Really? That's funny, I'm in RTP, NC with about 10k employees. Does that mean another 10k (all of RTP) RA'ed this year? Get your facts right before posting palsies -RTPfatnHappycamper-

Comment 08/05/09: Thanks, Alliance. Isn't this nice?
"The company did not confirm the layoffs, keeping with its new practice of trying to quell bad publicity by dismissing reporters' questions as “rumors or speculation.”
Such respect for the human beings who gave their life to IBM for decades, to instead focus on 'quelling bad publicity'. What a shame the 10,000 plus (and plus more) fired employees don't band together on the Washington D.C. lawn to demonstrate that 'rumors' and 'speculation' have faces. Kudos to Lee for being the lone voice countering IBM's lies. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/04/09: FYI IBM Call center class action Law suit is now in certify status. The Law firm "Erik Langeland " has been posted on your site before. To receive information about the suit, Erik H. Langeland, P.C.
Tel. (212) 354-6270
Fax. (212) 898 9086
elangeland@langelandlaw.com -Anonymous-

Comment 08/04/09: The Atlanta and Dallas Call Center Reps had a copy of the Overtime Class action suit against IBM incerted in their seperation package. Yup that's right. Call Center reps need to opt in. Link to opt in: http://www.ibmcallcenterovertime.com/index.html -Anonymous-

Comment 08/04/09: Is IBM HIRING ANYONE in the USA this year? Folks, write your representatives and senators in your state and federal governments and tell them NO STIMULUS money for IBM!!! Then vote these bastards out and see if they can find a real job! It makes me sick to the gut, seeing Palmisano with Obama and hearing that an IBM power broker is in about constant contact with the government advising the government on issues. Government by the rich, for the rich, and to the rich. What the hell happened to labor rights and the EFCA with this administration??? Oh, I forgot labor has no $$$ so they get jack. Without the EFCA the Alliance is just wasting their friggin' time. I want an American third party now! Democrats follow the money when it is thrown their way and the Republicans just demand more of the $$$ once they see it. I dare you to prove me wrong on this. What a country. I'm not a proud American anymore. Let's knight all the American CEO's and create royalty. It's basically what we got now. Or better yet let's just mortgage the USA to China and get it over with. -EFCAnyone?-

Comment 08/04/09: 13 years with IBM, last day 8/24, Jersey city, NJ office being closed. Been a dues paying member, except, now we have to figure what the heck we will do. A lot of it seems pointless, every man to himself? -Anticipatedit-

Comment 08/04/09: article on latest job cuts
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090804/BIZ/908049969/-1/BIZ2102 -member-

Comment 08/04/09: -STG EF Survivor-, the link doesn't work. Hundreds? Wow. According to a friend, SF was already a ghost town. IBM won't stop until there are no U.S. employees. It's almost futile, but what the heck: NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. I wonder, what WILL it take? -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Sorry Anonymouse, -STG EF Survivor- sent the link correctly. It was my fault it didn't work. I pasted it, incorrectly. I fixed the link.

Comment 08/04/09: www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090804/BIZ/908049969
According to the media report published at 2:20pm EST today, "hundreds" of layoffs in GBS Sterling Forest NY today. They mention STG EF apparently still on the chopping block for more RA's. According to recent news reports, STG EF is still expecting work from Nintendo/Sony/Freescale. WHEN WILL IT GET HERE? Not believing anything at this point. UNION NOW. It can't hurt! -STG EF Survivor-

Comment 08/04/09: can confirm the cuts in GBS but don't have a firm headcount figure. -fedup-

Comment 08/04/09: SSO, SERVER SYSTEMS OPERATIONS. MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE. MAYBE MORE? -BADNEWS-

Comment 08/04/09: Just got my notification of RA. 30 days notice. Mainly GBS Industrial - about 200. B8, S&T, Industrial, Managing Consultant. Unless business picks up, no one is safe. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/04/09: GBS is laying off today in the new S&T group. B8, B9 for sure. No other info yet. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/04/09: Starting to see folks affected by the GDF strategy. Net, the US is going to 3 sites. One in each of the following states: CO, IA, & NY. If you are not at one of these sites, your days are numbered. To stop this, you must act now!!! -Anonymous-

Comment 08/04/09: >> I'd bet there is a huge pent up demand - people are sick of this.
-movie fan-, good analogy to Butch Cassidy, but you'd be surprised. Fear outweighs any loathing. Crouching, cowering, oh good they got my co-worker and not me, gutless, cowardly fear. All in the interest of self-preservation, of course. Understandable in today's economy, of course. JUST as IBM planned it. Which consultant taught the art of war to IBM, anyone remember? The employees are the enemy and IBM is the victor. 79% of the American employee base GONE and you think the remaining fearing for their lives and livelihood 21% are going to crawl out from under their desks? I doubt it. It would be nice, since as we all know: AT WILL EMPLOYEES, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. My bet is that the remaining 21% will be screwed. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/04/09: Sorry, mis-read the package: Layoffs are happening in GBS / Industrial today, just got notified. Haven't counted yet, but by my eye looks like about 50 affected. -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: Sorry for your job loss. Please send RA pack to allianceibmunion@gmail.com

Comment 08/04/09: Layoffs are happening in GBS / Industrial today, just got notified. Haven't counted yet, but by my eye looks like about 200 affected. -Anonymous-

Comment 08/03/09: What group is SSO? -curious-

Comment 08/03/09: I received this email last week. I'm not even an IT specialist -- but this email speaks volumes to what is happening.
Greetings,

IBM US Recruitments overnight online recruiting agents recently found your resume through our online resume sourcing activities. Our search brought back your profile and we thought you might be interested in an exciting new IBM hiring initiative. You may have recently received an e-mail or read news articles announcing that IBM is actively hiring more than 1300 new employees for our Support Center in Dubuque, Iowa. These technical roles will function in a support capacity for our global around the clock operation. IBM's new Technical Services Delivery Center is focused on increasing delivery quality. It increases our client value by providing predictable, reliable, high quality services as a result of at-scale, higher performance work groups based on segmentation, co-location, pooling, and end-to-end process management. We are now seeking: Technical Support Specialists
- Junior, Mid & Senior level openings. Along Quality Analyst and Audit and Compliance Analyst roles.
To see a full list of roles we are recruiting for, please follow the below link to our IOWA jobs site:

Iowa Jobs Launch Page
Attached below are links to our WebSphere Support Specialist - MIM roles that we are looking to fill immediately. By accessing these linkx you be able to view the additional roles and responsibilities of these positions. If after viewing these roles, you feel you are interested, please take a moment to officially apply to any of the roles via the designated links. Once completed, I will review your profile with my team in hopes of setting some time to speak further. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

WebSphere Support Specialist ( Rhythm ) - MIM

WebSphere Support Specialist ( Blues ) - MIM

WebSphere Support Specialist ( Jazz ) - MIM -RAin1stwave09-

Comment 08/03/09: All these discussions remind me of a scene in the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They were being chased relentlessly and ended up surrounded, on a cliff high above a river. The only way out was to jump. Sundance said he wouldn't jump because he couldn't swim. Butch threw his head back and laughed and said, "The fall is gonna kill you." A little word of advice to those of you scared to organize into a union because you're afraid you'll be fired...you're more likely to get fired if you don't!! Ask Alliance for help and get a movement started. I'd bet there is a huge pent up demand - people are sick of this. All they need is a leader to follow. Take a deep breath and jump - for yourself & your family. -movie fan-

Comment 08/03/09: We just had a dept. meeting. More of our accounts have been 'chosen' for Iowa. Bit by bit, we'll be pecked at, until there is nothing remaining except the carcases. -part-of-the-pack-

Comment 08/03/09: -JUST GOT word of layoffs at SSO, one person for sure maybe two.- what's this mean? 1 or 2 people in SSO are going to be laid off? -anonymous-

Comment 08/03/09: to -retrainornot- What do you use these skills profiles for anyway? Because then they will know what NOT to put on the job requirements for their already selected H1B candidate! Duh!!! -Gone in 96-

Comment 08/03/09: It's all over except for the shouting: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124891414229992099.html

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/01/outsource-john-lutz-technology-cio-network-ibm.\html?

Go to employeeissues if links don't work. All over. Done. What's that? You want to fight back? Good. Then unionize.

Quickly. Before the other 29% are fired. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEES; UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/02/09: To those RAed: Let me suggest that all of you that have been RAed please re-read your job descriptions. Train your off-shore replacements to a reasonable extent on whatever is in your last appraisal... / performance plan. All the "extra" stuff you do... and if you're like the rest of us ... you've got a lot of extra stuff that never gets "recognized"... well your replacement doesn't need to recognize it either right? One of our guys was RAed a few months back ... well now that he's gone some really important stuff broke and ... nobody know's how to fix it ... the manager called the RAed guy... appealed to his sense of fair-play ... smoozed him a bit ... then got the answer he was not hoping for... "I've forgotten all about what I did at IBM" ... followed by dial-tone...... -Anon-

Comment 08/02/09: >>and has almost 40,000 in it.
sillywilly, just think where the Alliance would be if 40K people paid $10. a month to organize. Remember when Lou told everyone to use the internet back in the 1990s? Venting is much safer than action. Venting here and on the Yahoo boards and now on LinkedIn is good for the soul, but it does bupkus for the bank account. Lou knew this. Sam knows this. Rather than venting, take action. Unionize or you will be fired. You will be screwed. Or, vent and provide entertainment for the IBM sadists who read this site and other boards, and laugh at the IBM sheeple who STILL don't get it. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/02/09: I heard that the call center job cuts will effect the reps who deal with the SSR field force. This is going to be a nightmare. We have enough trouble understanding customer offshore NOC's and support people. -quimby-

Comment 08/01/09: Yes.. Yes and yes.. IBM Call Centers In Atlanta and Dallas are closing Ibm.com.. Jobs going full Manpower Contractors IN BOULDER.. tHE REST TO EGYPT, MANILA AND INDIA. ALL EMPLOYESS GIVEN 60 DAYS NOTICE AND WIL BE PHASED OUT BASED ON SENORITY. I am grateful to walking away with something.. I don't agree with moving the jobs.. However we have to get involved to change the laws. -Moving to Canada-

Comment 08/01/09: Job is going to a GDF--have the option to move there at my own expense. How is this even a logical conclusion from the folks above that have no idea what we do. By the way, college hires at a lower rate can't replace experience. Give me my life preserver to go down with ibmtitanic... Oh--forgot half of the job has already been offshored to India. They mean well, but ...ah crap, enough said... -Don't care anymore...-

Comment 08/01/09: JUST GOT word of layoffs at SSO, one person for sure maybe two. -BADNEWS-

Comment 08/01/09: For the folks posting questions to IBM management about what skills to grow. WAKE UP. This site should not be read by IBM management by law. Post those questions in your PBC. Post them in your skills developement roadmap. If your just looking for an easy way to survive the next job cut and free answers and suggestions I would say you are in the wrong place. This is where you come when you realize there is no easy way. This is where you join the union, pay your measly 10 dollars a month and try to get co workers to join so you can get a contract that will eliminate surprise job cuts. This is where you say to IBM this far and no more. -Exodus2007-

Comment 08/01/09: > How about being honest and forthright for a change?
HONEST? FORTHRIGHT? Sorry, -Doomed IT worker in the USA-. You've read the old joke?-- How can you tell if a manager is lying? They move their lips.--Sadly, it applies to managers and team leaders in today's IBM. Forget about 'growing your skills', it doesn't matter. Get your resume in order, take the courses on IBM's dime that will make you valuable in the outside world, and then just do your job without doing a bit extra. You WILL be fired, somewhere, somehow, some day. Count on it. Why? Simple: YOU DON'T HAVE A CONTRACT, like Sam does. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 08/01/09: to doomitworkerintheus I have seen people with MBAs, PhDs and people with very current skills, experience and education get the axe. The simple reason is that the job can be done much much cheaper offshore. IBM does not care if the job is done nearly as well, just so it is cheaper. Customers are getting upset at SLAs being dropped and complaints from THEIR customers. In one group I watched the numbers shrink over the last 2 years and 6 people are doing the work that started 2007 with 13. But as long as the 6 put in 70 hour workweeks and get the job done, IBM is happy. I am almost done feeling sorry for them since they show no desire to join here and make a stand. Come this coming week we will see a couple more posters whining about losing their jobs. Folks, God helps those who help themselves!!! -badnewsbares-

Comment 07/31/09: "can you tell us what skills we should grow at this point?"
Right on -Doomed IT worker in the USA-! Ok, then IBM if you are not forthcoming with this information what ever happened to IBM RETRAINING for the hot jobs in this supposedly "smarter planet" you like to boast about? IBM doesn't retrain anymore. That is puzzling.They consider it more economical to just RA workers instead of spending a little $ to enable them to offer the skills IBM needs. Another thing the Watsons must be doing flips in the tomb over. Maybe if IBM was committed to retraining it's employees then some real revenue might eventually flow instead of IBM just relying on cost cutting and cheap labor profits. Also IBM you make us incessantly fill out these stupid skills profiles and nothing ever constructive happens for the employee with them. What do you use these skills profiles for anyway? -retrainornot-

Comment 07/31/09: Sounds like the White House needs to be reminded that Americans are losing jobs to offshoring at unprecedented rates and Stimulus money should not to go creating jobs in other countries. WSJ reports:
"Mr. Palmisano has become an informal technology adviser to the White House, frequently exchanging phone calls with President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124891414229992099.html --

Comment 07/31/09: I rolled-over all the money from my IBM pension to one of my IRAs today. That felt good. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I don't trust IBM management near my money. I also don't think they're all that good with long-term resource management, anyway. -Paul-

Comment 07/31/09: WSJ.com article... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124891414229992099.html ....very interesting, covers a lot of good points, including..... Part of IBM's strategy has been to lower costs by shifting more of its work overseas. IBM cut 10,000 U.S jobs earlier this year, moving many to India and other countries. Offshore jobs have reached 283,000, or 71% of IBM's 398,000 total, prompting union demands that the U.S. government stop hiring the company for federal contracts. -im_not_telling-

Comment 07/31/09: Some bold alumnus posted this on LinkedIn - many of the replies talk about how horribly they were treated on their last day.... interesting reading. The Group Discussion is under "The Greater IBM Connection: IBM's alumni program for past and present IBM employees" and has almost 40,000 in it. Where were you on first hiring day of IBM, where were you at the high water mark line of your IBM career? Where were you when you left IBM? -silly willy-

Comment 07/31/09: Hey IBM Management - can you tell us what skills we should grow at this point? Or are we just doomed as IT workers in the USA? It is that we either need a PhD in Computer Science, or we should prepare to leave IBM and find another profession? How about some guidance, please? You used to say we'd simply have to travel to cover the "plethora of US commercial contracts", but even if the recession didn't happen and those contracts actually existed, it now it seems that they too will be offshored. So, are we just doomed? How about being honest and forthright for a change? -Doomed IT worker in the USA-

Comment 07/31/09: As my membership in the RA Club was initiated in 2002, I can say that NO JOB IS SAFE. Start downsizing NOW! My prediction from years' back is coming true, perhaps Headquarters in the US BUT everything else overseas. All started with Intercompany Agreements; 4 for the price of 1. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/31/09: Just heard that folks in Sales and Distribution got hit with a resource action. I am trying to get one of those affected to forward the package to you or to me to forward to you.... Last day at work will be August 27 -badnewsbares-

Comment 07/31/09: Excellent post, -Exodus2007-, but this is especially excellent:
>>IBM will spin it all to be just good business to screw you and its nothing personal but we both know it is personal. When it is you and your family that need food stamps its very personal. I am proud to be a supporter of this cause both in spirit and financialy. WE are the union. You and I standing together<<
It IS personal. It is VERY personal. When IBM management disregards the lives and livelihoods of their employees in favor of vapor profits to pump up the stock price and fatten the coffers of management and executives, it is VERY PERSONAL. Take heed, sheeple. Someday you too will be slaughtered. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/30/09: I no longer work for IBM. I am a full dues paying member as I believe the cause is right and it will help the many friends and colleges I worked with for thirty years to one day have a better life. I expect I will see no personal gain from my dues other then the comraderie of fellow UNION members who believe in something larger then their own personal gain. I believe the CWA is well within their rights to solicit donations from anyone who posts here as well as the public in general who feel like donating to the cause. It also tends to prove the old saying that money talks and bullshit walks. A manager would not dare be caught donating to the union. Its a good litmus test I think and Bravo to Rick for doing it. As far as Big Ho's information I can sum it up for all of you. If your job can be outsourced or shipped overseas to save a dollar it will be. If you can be screwed out of benefits to make an extra dime of profit you will be. It does not matter what division or department you are in as all will be clobbered eventually. IBM will spin it all to be just good business to screw you and its nothing personal but we both know it is personal. When it is you and your family that need food stamps its very personal. I am proud to be a supporter of this cause both in spirit and financialy. WE are the union. You and I standing together. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/30/09: To: Soon to be resourced IBM call center rep- Are you referring to IBM.COM centers in Dallas and Atlanta? Thanks -XIBM-

Comment 07/30/09: To the call center rep who will be losing his/her position, can you tip off the local press in some way, perhaps get a state legislator to put pressure on IBM for sending the work offshore, to people who probably won't communicate well with calllers? Invoke the terrible mistake Dell made by doing this. -anonymous-

Comment 07/30/09: -geez_leave_Big Who-alone-

My, my, another corporate apologist management plant. How about you, plant, you going to donate? No, I didn't think so.

> is just going to piss him off for good.

Oh, and wouldn't that be a shame, -geez_leave_Big Who-alone-? What level manager are you, -geez_leave_Big Who-alone-?
Are you friends with lastdino?

Hey Alliance, looks like we're getting under the skin of management. After how they screwed their employees, isn't it nice?
Thanks for the update, Rick! You owe me a dollar (just kidding). -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Ok. No problem. Let's get back to the discussion that this comments section is here for: Job Cuts. I won't be posting anymore discussion regarding any of the aforementioned posters; regardless of how many we receive. It's a waste of our time and our members time. Again, thank you for your continued support.

Comment 07/30/09: Atlanta and Dallas Call Centers to be resourced starting Sept 2009...jobs being shipped to call centers in Manila Phillipines, Cairo Egypt and a totally manned by contracters center in Boulder Colorado...announcement was made yesterday July 27th... -Soon to be resourced IBM call center rep-

Comment 07/30/09: Hey Big Who: Just because you no longer work for IBM doesn't mean IBM will keep any promise to you. Even as a former employee and a future IBM retiree, a union can help preserve your benefits from IBM. I guess you believe IBM totally. If so, I sure feel sorry for a fool. -anonymous-

Comment 07/30/09: Rick, if you read lastdino's posts on the various boards where real IBMers post, he uses the same type of language. While it's heartening to see that IBM management THINKS it can post here under the guise of Big Ho and lastdino and now goldfingerRTP in an effort to bamboozle real IBMers, I just want to stress that Big Ho and lastdino and goldfingerRTP are management plants and corporate apologists trying to minimize the slaughter by making IBMers turn their wrath inward, while it really belongs ON IBM, for their broken promises and inequitable distribution of wealth. The saddest part, of course, is that the IBM employees haven't unionized yet. Their jobs WILL go offshore, they WILL have to train their replacements under threat of no severance, they WILL be fired, they WILL have difficulty trying to get their UI because IBM and the DOL will make it difficult for them (remember, the DOL goes TO IBM to get the last status of the firee), they won't go to the press because they are still fearful, and most of all, MOST of all, they WILL be humiliated, insulted, demeaned, most likely fired before they get full pension and FHA, and finally, they will be made to feel angry and because there is no union, will have NOWHERE to turn. Except here. So thank you Rick. Thank you Alliance. You have been at this for over 30 years, in the background (at least in corporate), you have been MOST visible since the rape of 1999, and your board has been an oasis from the management plants and the FUD and the misinformation on the other boards. IBMers, both current, fired, and retired, owe you more than a year's membership. They owe you their undying gratitude.
P.S. I bet you a dollar lastdino/goldfingerRTP/Big Ho won't make a contribution. Let us know if I am wrong. -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Thank you for your insight and information, and above all, your support. His/her comment came before yours and it confirms what you have said. See below:

Comment 07/30/09: IBM Rational Software brand just went through another round of resource actions cutting 12 more positions.
What physical location(s)? I haven't heard of any cuts in Lexington, MA, though it's possible the word hasn't spread yet. (I have no doubts they're coming, just wondering if the axe has already fallen this month.) (And yes, I'm a paid member.) -iRational-

Comment 07/30/09: OMG! Big Who? I don't think he understands that most people that have been RAed are NOT Executives we were just hard working dedicated employees that got screwed after years and years of service only to be thrown away like yesterdays's garbadge. I read in his first post that he had the "option" of being RAed. Did anyone out there get a option? I don't think so. So execs are still "special" when they RAed? -RAed in April-

Comment 07/30/09: Rick - While I appreciate the offer to donate to your coffers, I have no reason to do so, as as I no longer work at Big Blue(hence donating to your organization would be of zero value to me). I was more interested in giving insight to folks impacted by the RA, but its no big deal. If people feel otherwise then I will be happy not to participate in this forum. I ventured across this forum at the suggestion of a friend, thought it was an open discussion forum, but apparently its not. At the same time I can understand where some of the distrust is coming from. Good luck to all impacted and your organization. -Big Who-
Alliance reply: Fine. That's your choice; however, your words of "join a union..or something" and other similar comments, no longer hold any value to Alliance@IBM, either. Good luck to you.

Comment 07/30/09: Moderator, I think you are making a big ass mistake playing hardball with Big Who. The guy has provided more inside information then most could in a lifetime. So, it pisses a few people off, tough. I think asking him (and not others) for dues is wrong and is just going to piss him off for good. -geez_leave_Big Who-alone-
Alliance reply: We have been asking posters to join Alliance@IBM or donate to our cause for some time. How about you? Would you join or donate to help keep this web site going and to help organize IBMers? This board & web site aren't free. We are trying to be an advocate for IBM employees and give assistance where needed to facilitate a collective bargaining agreement, through organizing and campaigning on behalf of IBM employees. Our intention has never been to just offer a forum for 'letting off steam' or 'venting' or 'job searching'... Other board forums can serve that purpose very well. Anti-union sentiment is not welcome here. Spying on this board's activities by IBM management, at any level is illegal. Therefore, is the reason for 'playing hardball'.

Comment 07/30/09: I know that most of the senior folks B and D and higher were given spreadsheets with alternate leadership job locations outside of their region. We were told to go ahead and apply (with a preferential hiring) into any one of the hundreds of offshore positions. Problem was that we would have to take these positions at lower pay even if it was a VP, Director, etc role but working out of India, Spain, Brazil, Eastern Europe, Japan. Given the connections, they gave many of the D and higher folks job leads to the decision makers in other divisions in the US. Listen its hard to take a job, even in a lead role, in another country when you have a lifestyle based on income of $300K or more as most Ds and higher do. Point of the above is that if you want to, you can get these lists, just try to pester your second level or higher manager - if you have the social capital you can get the same benefits as others in the higher levels are being given (some offers as immediate sub positions with a rehire, others bridges to retirement, etc). Story is that there are 2 rulebooks being used for the RAs, one for the masses and the other for the execs. Try your best to get the perks of the second set, your treated with kid gloves...nice exit all in all...direct links to other firms (suppliers, etc) for jobs etc. Be agressive about it, you have nothing to loose at this point Some staff threatened bias, profiling, etc and they held off on the RA for the individuals. Should give a few more months as they do the review. Enough of you guys do this (only if you feel you were unfairly targeted for the resource action) and it may choke their internal ability to manage it and may hold off the RAs for a bit. ....good luck -Big Who-
Alliance reply: As a result of posting your comments, we have received many criticisms for allowing you to speak your mind. Initially, it was decided that if you are actually NOT a current IBM employee/manager/executive; that your comments could be taken instructively. However, because we can't prove that you are NOT a current manager or 'plant' or 'union buster'; we have to take another direction.

We'll give you the opportunity to prove your status, by suggesting that you make a donation to Alliance@IBM. Making a donation to our cause would 1) give us your identity 2) make you eligible to post further comments and 3) allow us to assure our members, that you could be prosecuted under Federal law if you are conducting a union busting or spying campaign on behalf of management. You have expressed the sentiment that IBMers MUST organize and fight back, as the best alternative. This is our sentiment and mission as well. Please use the donate link (above on this page). Thank you for your support.
Rick White
Treasurer, Organizer & Web Maintenance
and Health & Safety Rep
CWA Local 1701
Alliance@IBM
www.allianceibm.org
Twitter ID: @Allianceibm

Comment 07/30/09: To goldfingerRTP - Software development jobs in SWG or anywhere in IBM are not safe. I was in SWG development, solid 2, 2+ and 1 performer over the years, with awards, accolades and so on. I was RAed in Jan along with numerous developers, senior, mid level, junior, and many of which I've known for almost 2 decades and I can provide you lists of awards, promotions and so on of dozens of people, ALL IN DEVELOPMENT who were RAed this year. No one is safe; repeat - NO ONE IS SAFE. AT-WILL Employment means just that. And these RAs are NOT about balancing workload, skills, or anything that mgt would have you believe. It is all about the money, and they are cratering projects to make bottom line numbers (note, NOT top line, which is what a healthy business does) and letting the 1st and 2nd line mgrs how to figure out how to get the work done (and many of my friends who are (still) directors told me they were also not allowed to de-commit any projects as a result of losing double digit percentages of their DEVELOPMENT teams). One more time - NO ONE IS SAFE. -RAed in Jan-

Comment 07/30/09: >> These are the people who should be fired just for being so conceited and/or stupid. -exSVLer-, perhaps Big Who/lastdino has decided to try a new tact as -goldfingerRTP-. At any rate, he's a dismal failure, as he was with his previous attempts being a corporate apologist and management plant. Plants seeds of divisiveness and run. Nice, isn't he? Unionize, sheeple, before it's too late and you get screwed too. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/30/09: IBM Rational Software brand just went through another round of resource actions cutting 12 more positions. I believe all in the US but I'm not entirely sure. -Mike-

Comment 07/30/09: goldfingerRTP, don't be so certain that you are safe. There's really no reason that someone in India or China can't do your job for 30% of what you're paid. The GRs are just as educated and just as capable. All it takes is a brain, a telephone, and a computer. You will eventually be targeted for off-shoring. Whether your job is in SWG or in IGS is irrelevant. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/29/09: To goldfingerRTP: software group just had a round of cuts in Feb. that affected development. They've had plenty of others, they are just done very quietly. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: Quietly would be a 'nice' way to put it; since IBM doesn't usually announce RA's unless they are forced to through the WARN act. It's probably not a good idea for anyone to say out loud, that they are safe. Kinda like a catcher talking to the pitcher that has a no-hitter in progress and telling him "you've got a no-hitter in progress". Bad move, all the way around..... IMHO.

Comment 07/29/09: To whomever said Software Group developer jobs are safe... I would say safer but not safe. Same for STG and sometimes it's hard to know who was stealthily let go. Though the company hates to impact product schedules, they do lay off developers and testers who are in developer job families. And they do it in flagship products like WebSphere. Mainframe people are not safe either and Sam and the sadists are just getting started and getting a taste for the short term (as in 3 month) returns from laying people off. Only a union with enough members will have the negotiating strength make it more costly than a few weeks severance to RA a dedicated employee. -25yrsofsacrifice-

Comment 07/29/09: To goldfingerRTP - I don't know where you get your intel from but it's not reliable. I was a developer in Software Group in California and was RA'ed in January. Pretty sure I'm not the only one. I'm just amazed that that are STILL people who really think it won't happen to them. These are the people who should be fired just for being so conceited and/or stupid. -exSVLer-

Comment 07/29/09: You ARE kidding, right? or, perhaps, you were hired in the last 30 days? 'US Software group development jobs are safe. Has never been cut. We're apparently golden. -goldfingerRTP-' Sorry, you are not well informed. Got that? Good luck to you. -To ignorant goldfinger (what, from 1960?) in SWG

Comment 07/29/09: Unbelievable. Now they have outsourced employment verification. Any company to which you apply for a job and wants to verfiy your employment has to register on some site and pay $30. Why don't they just outsource the ENTIRE COMPANY and everybody in it! Maybe that's the plan. -annonymous-

Comment 07/29/09: Has anyone effected by an RA this year been successful getting benefits under the TAA due to jobs being offshored? -Incognito-

Comment 07/29/09: Gone, What part of 3600 Steeles in Canada was affected? -Wondering-

Comment 07/29/09: TO "BLUE ON AT&T" - I have also seen meetings for this "Project GO" but have not seen specific details. Where did you find the specifics? There is a lot of "movement" going on right now, 7/29. Managers are contacting employees but I have not heard that 700 number anywhere. Thanks for any insight you can provide! If you want to chat privately please set up an anonymous email account and let me know. -Anonymouse-

Comment 07/29/09: To Big Who -- Headquarters move outside US may be sooner than anyone thinks... It's fairly obvious there is no allegiance to US or to the American people anymore. http://247wallst.com/2009/07/27/ibm%E2%80%99s-ibm-relocation-to-india/
I say good luck with that. Don't expect US Marines to bail you out. -annonymous-

Comment 07/29/09: US Software group development jobs are safe. Has never been cut. We're apparently golden. -goldfingerRTP-

Comment 07/29/09: It is the Job Skills Matrix that's doing most people in. While performance does count. The matrix is used in a Geographic Costing spread sheet. That being what is the cost for an employee with skill "X" in location(Country) "Y" versus the same in another location. India, Brazil will always win out. Having worked with PM's on Corporate roll outs, the quality and level of competence between a U.S. Certified Project Manager [high] with Indian PM's in their 20's [low] . The Indian PM's blindly follow spreadsheets with no understanding of the process they are managing. If this is the level and quality of service internally are forced to work with and accept. G-d help our customers. The joke used to be "yestudai I wuz a pizza Delivery person, Today I are an IGS Technical Support Representative" Now it is "Yesturdai I wuz a Tandoori cook, Today I are an IBM Project Manager" -anon-

Comment 07/29/09: -Gone-, they will FORCE you to train your replacments, under threat of no severance. Nice indeed.
No contract? No respect.

>>Jobs for folks in Corp are no longer safe.

Awwwwwwwww, that is a shame. Even Corporate, eh?

No contract? No one is safe, not even the golden folks in Corporate. Only Sam is safe.

>>You are an "at will" employee until you organize and Unionize.
Until then, they can do whatever they want to an "at will" employee. They can fire you, "at will".

Amen, -gone_in_07-. Can you BELIEVE that the sheeple STILL don't think it can happen to THEM? They ACTUALLY think: 'oh, IBM won't do
that to ME!' Can you IMAGINE???????? No contract? It can happen to you too, sheeple.

>>Get Over it and Unionize.

Amen, Get Over it and Unionize. -Money-Number-One-. Anyone who thinks differently is a blind sheeple.

NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. UNIONIZE OR GET SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/29/09: Almost gone. Glad your getting something at least. I was not aware you could pull vested rights pension before 55 but because I doubt that anyone can know all the facts for every scenario I recommended a call to fidelity. Hope everything works out for you in the long run. Now get your revenge on IBM and live a long and happy life. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/29/09: To US DUCK, do you really think customers care about who does their work? Hell no, all they care about is the bottom line, the Money. The only way we can make a difference is to Unionize or just ride the wave to the shore line and jump before hitting the beach. LEAN is not forgotten, I personally know of a HUGE project that is currently slated for LEAN, and it will take 3 to 5 years to implement and then there will be a big BANG, and poof. It will all be over but the cyring and whining and people will wonder why it happened to them. People will cry because life was not fair to them. Get Over it and Unionize. -Money-Number-One-

Comment 07/29/09: To burtonrider- : "I never expected to be resource actioned, more like fired etc."
Why is it so many lurkers watch this site for years and don't think it can happen to them? It can, and it's going to as you have learned. Especially with PM's. I know so many PM's with the same attitude PM's seem to think they manage all the projects and their job can't be offshored? Most of you work from home 100%, don't need to be in the office. Very easy to offshore a job like that. You are an "at will" employee until you organize and Unionize. Until then, they can do whatever they want to an "at will" employee. They can fire you, "at will". -gone_in_07-

Comment 07/29/09: Almost Gone - See message number 11042 dated May 17 2009 on Yahoo's IBMEMPLOYEEISSUES board.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ibmemployeeissues/message/11042 -RAed In March-

Comment 07/29/09: >>Also, if you did not agree to global resource perforing services in your contract, IGS cannot move your headcount there without your authorization.
Did I miss something? Do employees have a contract? If not, they should get one. Fast. As -burtonrider- notes,
>>IBM can offshore all but its elite 20% of remaining NA employees.
Notice how successful they have been at this since January? NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/29/09: This article is about an IBM'er, with a degree from Harvard, who was RA'd and how he found another job. It may be helpful to some of you. http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/24/news/economy/hired_job_boards/?postversion=2009072711 -just1waiting-

Comment 07/29/09: As I was indicating in my earlier note, this will continue. Also remember the GP calc on the "overhead"... the "core" is also
getting downsized. I know this firsthand. Jobs for folks in Corp are no longer safe...and the core will be oursourced to Bglore and other location (was hinting that when I said Armonk will move to Bglore), anyway its about time, you guys were always making your numbers as a division, easy thing to do when you have no topline targets. Feel bad for everyone that were RAed today, the reality is I have heard that this will continue in this manner for the next two years. Suprise RAs... remember the EPS goals require margin expansion. No growth means more costs reductions. simple math. Sorry to all impacted today... -Big Who-

Comment 07/28/09: Canada - 3600 Steeles Ave. We were told today that we have until November. Many regular employees and contractors effected. Our jobs are moving over to India and Brazil. 15 years service.....for what? They want us to train them.. very nice. -Gone-

Comment 07/28/09: I am so sorry to hear about the RA-s that have just occurred. To the folks that were RA-ed because their jobs were moving to Boulder...Were you asked to move to Boulder at any point? Did you have to train your replacements? What departments were affected? This is scary news!!! I feel for all of you. -dun-4-

Comment 07/28/09: RA'd Already replied to Almost gone: "That's to say, please do not rely on comments on any community related site - rather, go straight to the official workforce / UI information published by your state." Normally, I'd say that's excellent advice. Except that my state's Labor Dept has provided me (not to mention many other RA'ed IBM'ers) with completely wrong information with regard to collecting a pension and UI at the same time. Granted it's a complex topic, and when you combine that with the fact that effective April 1 2009 everything changed because the "5th quarter" of some people's base period expired (after IBM froze pensions) complicated it even further. But relying solely on the state to provide accurate info to UI claimants is risky at best. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/28/09: what ibm accounts lost jobs today. if posssible please be specific. this layoff came out of no where today. usually there is a rumor mill going. -just tired-

Comment 07/28/09: rcvd my call today with a 60 day notice (too much knowledge that people don't have). disappointed? yes. surprised? only that it came about 5 months sooner than expected. i'll be drained until i'm gone. i am glad that i have a little extra time that some do not have. -sassy-

Comment 07/28/09: No one can Lay Off SAM PALMISANO ? no way is it ? I hate this GUY so much as much I was loving IBM. SAM - Greedy Donkey. -Ramki-

Comment 07/28/09: RA'd today, normal T&Cs, and am IBM PM and PMP Certified, 13 years with IBM. Strangely freeing, while under led for most of my career, I never expected to be resource actioned, more like fired etc. I don't think joining the union will work, or will it be successful before IBM can offshore all but its elite 20% of remaining NA employees. -burtonrider-
Alliance reply: We need copies of the RA packages so we can track the numbers and prove cuts are taking place. Names are confidential. Send RA packs to allianceibmunion@gmail.com

Comment 07/28/09: Almost Gone: Sadly, it's true, you are not qualified for a FULL pension, as you did not complete 30 years of service or you did not reach age 55 with 15 years of service. That said, you are definitely eligible for a vested rights pension which you may elect to begin receiving immediately after you leave IBM. (A vested rights pension is reduced and will not be as much as it would otherwise be had you completed 30 years.) Those posting on Yahoo's RAed2009 and ibmemployeeissues boards are collecting UI and their pension without their pension offseting UI. However, those folks qualified for a full pension. I do not believe any of them are in the same situation as you. However, why would it make any difference to The State of Texas why TYPE of pension you might collect? That shouldnt have any bearing on whether or not your UI should be offset. I believe you will find information on those two boards that you can use to justify to Texas's Dept of Labor why you can collect a pension and not have it offset UI. I used that same information successfully in New York. Good Luck! -RA'ed in March-

Comment 07/28/09: Exodus2007 - I have verified that I will receive my pension - reduced, but a monthly payment for sure. What you are referring to is the full pension - you actually have 45 days to decide whether to receive your annutiy now - if the decision is not made you will not be able to receive until 55 or other service milestone. Yes, the FHA is gone - but then, it always has been. IBM bennies are marked waaay up so you end up paying more then you would with COBRA - its a wash either way. The question really is - does receiving the annuity sharply reduce my UI - so far, it seems that is the case. But would love to hear from other Texans who went through this. -almostgone-

Comment 07/28/09: Just a thought: Do you have enough time to max your 401K deduction? If so, better do it quick. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 07/28/09: 1200 US IBM employees in Network Services (NS) were moved over to AT&T as part of the new IBM/AT&T partnership in 2008. Project GO (an AT&T outsourcing project) will take 700 of those 1200 US jobs and move them out of country. Thanks AT&T for doing IBM's dirty work for them. If the workers are laid off by Feb 2010, IBM pays the sev packages. Guess when the 700 will be cut by? You got it. Different company, same BS game. -blue on AT&T-

Comment 07/28/09: Got RA'd by phone this morning - people getting let go in Software Group/Rational/Services. 16 years with IBM, but only 12 weeks severance, dating back to Rational acquisition -SoMuchForLoyalty-

Comment 07/28/09: My manager is on sick leave (again) but I am hearing employees in ITD departments closely related to mine are being layed off today. This one will be a big, big resource action for US IGS delivery. The GDF move is just a red herring with IGS betting that employees won't go or IGS not identifying the exact GDF move to the RAd employees. Delivery managers are in the dark, customers are in the dark. IGS U.S. corporate customers really need to monitor what is happening to the resources that they are funding--directly! Customers, ask questions, demand to know the news. Also, if you did not agree to global resource perforing services in your contract, IGS cannot move your headcount there without your authorization. I know of three people that were reinstated in 2008 after customers challenged the resource actions. Also, has anyone noticed that "Lean" is out of the picture? What a farce that was! -US DUCK-

Comment 07/28/09: To: Not saying this time; you know who I am. I really don't know who you are but stories like this should be put out there for all to see. I joined the Union and hope that all others who read this will also. You work and earn a company money for years. Then you finally start making a decent living and poof! Laid off for a cheaper person or for some manager to make his RA quota. Then they realize they laid off to many. Logic says call those trained people back. Talk about cost inefficient, retrain some poor slob and a year later they may be productive. I beg you all to join the union. It may be to late for me but lets start doing the right thing in this country. -EFK'ED-

Comment 07/28/09: Got my call today. Not sure how many more are coming. -So Disappointed-

Comment 07/28/09: FEDUP. How about some details. What is your location and division? -HowzAboutSomeDetailsMan-

Comment 07/28/09: Got the news I'm RA'd today as part of the Boulder consolidation. Looks like 1 week per 6 mos. severance. 30 days notice. -JustAnotherNumber-

Comment 07/28/09: Can anyone validate/substantiate the rumor that marketing & communications will outsource or offshore 40% of the workforce at the end of August? -anon-

Comment 07/28/09: Just RA'ed today given 30 days' notice. ITD/EUS. Jobs going to GDF's -YOYO-

Comment 07/28/09: I work for power systems sales in Canada. How can we unionize? Many on my team are now for it. We have had enough. Could a union influence quota seting - they are set in a way to make us no commission. All other jobs want proof you exceed numbers so this leaves you poor and stuck. Cadance meetings are a problem too - would like to have a union control these and perhaps attend. Am I crazy or does this make sense? -G afraid to say yet-
Please contact our partners in Canada at http://www.cwa-scacanada.ca/index_EN.shtml

Comment 07/28/09: Any news on the amount of cuts today. I just received my phone call today and was curious. -FEDUP-

Comment 07/28/09: More on the comments about H-1B crackdown pushing Indians to Mexico. The individuals are realizing that once they gain permanent status / green card here, they are subjected to the same problems all US Workers have. So the US is heading into a major brain drain and it will blindside companies. Those from India and China who would be H-1Bs are going to rapidly stay home where growth will continue to boom. Or go to non-USA locations where there is more support. And American students are bypassing education in the IT areas because they cannot have a long term career in IT. This all may become the next big "economic" surprise to hit us. No one left to do the work. -anonymous-

Comment 07/28/09: @At Will Employment Treatment Squashed - That's probably what it'll come down to here, too. Union or no, I expect these bastards are devious enough to find new and innovative ways of screwing us anyway (the only innovation occurring at IBM these days). I doubt executive behavior will change much... -Burned Out and Cynical-

Comment 07/28/09: Almost Gone. Age 51 and 26 years of service does NOT qualify you for your pension under the prior plan. Age 55 would. 30 yrs of service would. Better check with Employee Services through Fidelity Website to make sure. You may have a four year wait to get your frozen pension. You may also lose the FHA as you are leaving without retireing. Like I said, Better check with Fidelity. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/28/09: -EFK 'ED- This kind of stuff has been going on for years. When I lost my job to a younger person, not only was I forced to train him (and others), in a glass-in room as a condition for receiving severance, he was gone less than 6 months later. Although I applied for the vacant position, I was not considered. How humiliating! -Not saying this time; you know who I am-

Comment 07/28/09: >>The 4 months was only negotiable if I wanted to leave early and not accept the package.
Wow. -Incognito-, I assume you did the numbers, but did you weigh it against the other 'benefits' of being fired? I will keep using 'fired', since 'fired' is what it is. Legally, IBM can continue to couch 'firing' (and threatening) their employees in the charming euphemisms of 'layoffs' and 'RAs' and 'downsizing' and 'resource reductions' until they turn blue. But FIRING is what it is.
-EFK 'ED-, IBM was hiring for my job while I was THERE and I had to train my replacement under threat of no severance. Kick in the butt, I call it a kick in the teeth. As the Alliance says: NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, ORGANIZE OR GET SCREWED BY IBM. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/27/09: You can read the definition of voluntary termination (resign/quit) and involuntary termination(laid off or fired for cause). There are legal differences. Those who are "RA'd" in 'IBM speak' are not fired! They are LAID OFF. Being 'fired' generally means for 'cause' - drunk on the job, insubordination, break rules, etc etc. Alliance can say how it differs if there is a contract. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termination_of_employment -annonymous-

Alliance Reply: It is a whole different ball game with a contract. Technically, when IBM calls it a 'layoff ' they are WRONG or LYING.
"Layoff" is a term that comes from a UNION Shop. When you get laid-off in a union shop, you automatically have the right to get your job back; and you may be eligible to collect UI, until the company's work situation improves. The company calls you back from a layoff; if you have a union contract, and your union representatives bargained for that specific stipulation to be written in the contract.
As far as the term 'fired'; Fired for cause, in many cases EXEMPTS you from collecting UI in many states. This depends on the cause, of course, but I believe that "RA" or "Laid-off" does NOT stop you from collecting UI. You would need to check your State labor laws to know the specifics. What you may NOT know is that you COULD be eligible for Federal UI. It doesn't hurt to ask what the qualifications for Federal UI are. Check the Fed DOL http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/unemployment-insurance/ for details.

Comment 07/27/09: The 4 months was only negotiable if I wanted to leave early and not accept the package. Make no mistake, this timeframe was to IBM's advantage. I was expected to keep working at the same pace I was prior to 3/26 to complete a critical project. I only slowed down in early July once I was inside the 1 month window, although I was still pushed to deliver right up until last week. I've been searching for work for the better part of 3 months though and haven't even landed a single interview (terrible local job market). There were other people in AS with the same 7/27 date (I know 3 others personally). -Incognito-

Comment 07/27/09: Sad thing is, that pos Sam is going to hit his 10-11 eps by next year and going to get paid for it, while he impacted the lives of 1000's of US families. Hope that fkr is miserable in every aspect of his life from now till eternity. -HOPE_SAM_BURNS_IN_HELL-
Alliance Reply: Didn't someone once say that "hope is precious, don't waste it" ?? Well, if not then it should be said, because it is a waste to hope for anything to happen to Sam. In the first place, you won't be there to confirm that he 'burns in hell'. In the second place, you'll never know if he is miserable, no matter what you believe. The BEST you can hope for is that IBMers believe in each other and decide to organize and fight for a contract and a voice as an IBM employee. Wishing and hoping misery or damnation on anyone, never gets you anywhere. It doesn't even qualify as an alternative energy. On the other hand, DOING something that inspires hope to others IS an alternative. Use hope wisely... Organize! NB: At Will Employee=you get screwed by IBM.

Comment 07/27/09: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135883/Congress_may_push_India_s_IT_firms_to_Mexico_with_H_1B_crackdown
Congress may push India's IT firms to Mexico with H-1B crackdown If U.S. clamps down on visas, India's alternative may be Mexico and
NAFTA Patrick Thibodeau
July 27, 2009 (Computerworld) WASHINGTON -- As Indian firms fight the threat of H-1B restrictions, IT services companies might not leave their fate to politics. In an effort to reduce their need for visas, they may look to increase their presence south of the border. Indian IT firms have boosted operations in Mexico in recent years to serve Latin American and U.S. customers. One advantage to doing so involves the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which enables Mexican and Canadian professionals to work in the U.S. without an H-1B visa. In other words, Indian firms could send employees to Mexico, and then move some of their Mexican workers to the U.S. under the auspices of the treaty. The Mexican workers would not need an H-1B visa to work in the U.S., though they would need what's called a TN visa. That visa is available to Mexican and Canadian nationals who qualify under a number of professional categories and meet specific education and experience requirements. -anon-

Comment 07/27/09: Thanks for the advice guys - I am in the state of Texas - given my 30 days notice - 26 years with the company - prior pension plan - has anyone else in my situation received both their annuity and unemployment insurance simultaneously? -almostgone-

Comment 07/27/09: Any one know when Tivoli Monitoring will be moving to Iowa Dubuque? I heard from one Manager that this move will be shortly moved, as there is vast number of audience looking here, just throwing this question. Guys and Gals share your news things are not good at all in IBM. -Ramki-

Comment 07/27/09: Many RA'd were 2+ performers - I was 2+ for many years. I know some who were rated 1 performers. One was extended and billing on an account - and the customer and IBM account exec did not know in advance. The person was called one day by his "HR" manager and told. That person had to then tell the customer and IBM exec. A number of people RA'd in March were kept longer than 30 days due to projects - their last day was negotiated relative to their finishing work on a project and / or training teams in IBM India to do the work (like me). I know some with a last day even out to October. -anonymous-

Comment 07/27/09: Want to hear a kick in the butt. Laid off in January and looked on IBM's website and they were hiring for my old job! Nice. -EFK 'ED-

Comment 07/27/09: To almostgone, First, you say that you have been offered 'a package'. If so, first, best wishes to you!
My recommendations: Rather than ask for anonymous opinions on this site, simply:
1. Read the terms and conditions in the package of materials which you should receive via next day delivery.
2. Immediately download and review the summary plan descriptions for the pension plan and healthcare programs for which you are eligible, AND the summary plan description for something called 'After IBM'.
3. Contact your manager AND the 'employee service center' (ESC) to answer any questions you have. Get the clarification in writing.
4. If you are in the US, also research your unemployment benefits, which vary by state. That's to say, please do not rely on comments on
any community related site - rather, go straight to the official workforce / UI information published by your state. The rules vary greatly by state, and I'm often surprised to see advice on other sites which is irrelevant or even misleading, while still well-intentioned. I really believe in the value of community and peer support. However, no one on this site, or any other site (Yahoo, for example) is qualified to answer questions which are specific to your situation. Get advice from others who are qualified - beyond my suggestions above. With all that said, best of luck! -RA'ed already-

Comment 07/27/09: So you just had an exit interview - good luck. A question - were you give 4 months' notice? Most of us were given 30 days' notice, I believe. Too late to worry; however was this negotiable for you? And, of course, four months gives much more time to find a new job while still employed - which I do hope you have done. -Question for Incognito-

Comment 07/27/09: -AlmostGone - "My concern is that I am on the prior pension plan and want to start receiving my pension immediately - I am 51 with 26 years of service. Does my acceptance of the package mean I voluntarily quit?"
NO! It does not mean you voluntarily quit. It means IBM laid you off and you are leaving involuntarily. Therefore you are very likely eligible for severance pay, and can collect Unemployment Insurance. If you are located in New York or Connecticut, you are eligible to collect UI and your pension WITHOUT your pension offseting UI. Do not let anyone tell you differently. This may also be true if you are located in Texas and California. Look into this, as you will probably be initially told by your state's Dept of Labor people that collecting a pension offsets any UI you will receive. -RA'd Last March-

Comment 07/27/09: -Incognito-, you had a four month window? That's one of the longest I've heard of. Good for you, you squeezed blood out of the stone.
-almostgone-, if you are being offered a package, you have been fired. Oh, wait, you've been 'resource actioned'. A euphemism for fired. No, you haven't quit, since you didn't initiate the separation. Read USHR119. You will be getting your vested annuity, correct, since you are not
retirement eligible? You should also be able to get unemployment, depending on your state, since you did not quit. Check for the posts here and on employeeissues and on RAed2009 for the threads on this topic. Good luck. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/27/09: I have just been informed my services are no longer needed. I have been offered a package - if I accept the package - does this mean I quit? My concern is that I am on the prior pension plan and want to start receiving my pension immediately - I am 51 with 26 years of service. Does my acceptance of the package mean I voluntarily quit? -almostgone-

Comment 07/27/09: Just had my exit interview as part of the 3/26 Application Services RA. Severance payment was taxed even higher than expected (I expected the 25% federal but not the state doubling their rate). To make it worse the check with combined regular/vacation pay was also taxed at these rates when I was told it wouldn't be. Time to call the ESC. Other than that I am very happy to be moving on. Although during a department meeting last week, the manager stated that they had made a mistake in the number of people let go as they are now having problems filling positions. Another thing to note for those left behind, all of the 3's and a good chunk of the 2's are now gone. A lot of people will see reduced ratings come December. Sad -Incognito-

Comment 07/27/09: The Chinese have found an expeditious, low-cost alternative to unions, for eliminating RA's. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/07/27/vause.china.steel.protest.cnn
I sure wouldn't want to be an executive visiting any company in China, to deliver downsizing news. -At Will Employment Treatment Squashed-

Comment 07/27/09: Of course IBM management doesn't want folks to transfer into the GDF's. Those managers must get bonus money if their employees quit and IBM doesn't pay them any severance money. IBM is all about more profit with less revenue now. What a lousy financial business model, unless one is an IBM executive who will reap more obscene stock option grants and $$$ from it all. -anonymous-

Comment 07/26/09: It appears as though IBM management is definitely not expecting to transfer many Global Services employees into the GDFs along with the work they are delivering currently. The account work will move there suddenly and employees will be cut. They are hoping to lure a few people into relocation as well as to bring on board new people with the promise of a 1-year contract term. Once you move there and accept the work, your pay will be reduced in the following year, even though you have shelled out the money to relocate yourself just to keep your job. Those who buy into IBM's promises relayed through these headhunters will also find a surprise awaiting them once they begin working onsite. Those in IGS are not safe, no matter what account you are supporting. -Hula Girl-

Comment 07/26/09: Here is a web site that evaluates 401k plans of different companies, here is IBM:
http://www.brightscope.com/401k-rating/43285/International-Business-Machines-Corporation/43863/Ibm-Savings-Plan/
-anonymous-

Comment 07/26/09: Stimulus package dollars flowing to IBM. Hope these contracts require US staffing only, but whose checking? Stimulus dollars need to go to US jobs...see https://www.fbo.gov/, and specifically recent contract awards at
ftp://ftp.fbo.gov/FBORecoveryAwards/FBORecoveryAwards20090725.csv -anonymous-

Comment 07/25/09: Re: Poor performance on IBM contracts to states. Prior to being acquired by IBM, Rational Software tried sourcing some IT support to IBM. The results were very poor, and IBM was booted out. Shortly thereafter, we were bought by IBM, and now have no choice but to use IBM for IT. But the states have a choice, and I'll be unsurprised if Indiana never gets the performance they think they paid for, and cancels the contract. IBM is very successful at marketing themselves for services, apparently not so successful at actually providing them. -irRational-

Comment 07/25/09: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090725/BIZ/907250318
As Indiana mulls over whether to fire IBM from a 10-year, $1.16 billion contract to modernize its welfare-to-work system, it is not the first state to fork over millions, only to learn that Big Blue's "smart solutions" sometimes fall short on both counts.
For example:
# Last year, IBM was fined $900,000 by the state of Texas, which stopped transferring state records to an IBM data management program, citing IBM's failure to perform critical backup required by its seven-year, $863 million contract, jeopardizing at least 20 Texas agencies' ability to deliver services.
# In 2006, North Carolina's Board of Education fired IBM from a $78 million contract to centralize the state education computer system in a project dubbed "NC WISE." But educators, frustrated by the program's tendency to crash and freeze, referred to it as "NC Stupid" in local news reports.
# In 2001, citing mismanagement, waste and violation of city purchasing rules, New York City dumped IBM after paying the company more than $9 million on a failed contract to create and store death certificates, while New Jersey had designed a successful electronic death registration system for $250,000. -anon-

Comment 07/25/09: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090725/BIZ/907250317
INDIANAPOLIS — IBM's 362-page plan to fix problems with Indiana's privately run welfare system calls for providing more face-to-face help and no longer "forcing clients to self-service channels" such as telephone call centers and online applications. The plan, obtained by The Associated Press, also describes mechanical and human errors such as an automatic call distributor that "inappropriately fails" about twice a month, losing all telephone calls in progress, and infighting within IBM's coalition of partners. Clients, including Joyce Clemons of Evansville, and their legislators and advocates have complained of long hold times on phone calls, lost documents and unfriendly service. "That made me feel like they really didn't care if they took care of the customers or not," Clemons, 47, said Wednesday. She is a divorcee who gets $200 monthly in food stamps. Anne Murphy, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, said the state wants the IBM team to succeed, but it might resort to canceling IBM's 10-year, $1.16 billion contract if there's not enough improvement. Four lawmakers who met with her in June said she also told them ending the contract was possible. The state is due to measure the improvements this fall. So far it has paid IBM more than $315 million. The IBM plan lists 36 problems to be fixed such as "inaccurate and incomplete data gathering" and "incorrect communications to clients." -anon-

Comment 07/25/09: Response to STG East Fishkill Survivor:
"There have been rumors of the 2nd shift being slashed or hourse reduced soon."
Fishkill Semiconductor does not have a 2nd shift. There are 4 teams D1,D2, N1, N2. They work 12 hour day or night shifts.
"Why have all hands meeting in the "evening".
Because that is when N2 & N1 teams work. They probably had a day meeting also.
"If IBM is not hiring any more workers, it can't be that significant amount of work incoming?"
Semiconductor Manufacturing does not generally require additional labor for additional wafer starts. If the factory is running under full capacity then more wafer starts can be added -BFL-

Comment 07/25/09: Plans are moving ahead with Iowa and Boulder GDFs. Boulder is in the 3rd phase that ends in October. Iowa just finished its first phase, and is moving into the 2nd phase. Mgmt is in the process of identifying accounts that will move to Iowa or Boulder, If you are associated with those accounts, you will be given details at the last possible moment. Mgmt has already figured out that they will get little to no takers for these moves, so they are actively trying to hire folks. I know of someone who gets recruiter emails almost every day for Iowa. -dun-4-

Comment 07/24/09: With regard to management plants posting here and anti-union posts -- "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer". -anon-

Comment 07/24/09: Just got a generic/blanket email from a recruiter fishing for candidates to staff the Boulder GDF. One year contract opening... it looks as though they are really gearing up to staff the GDFs, as I have gotten quite a few of these emails for posts in Iowa. It seems as though the move of account services to the GDF locations is certainly on the near horizon and that will lead to the forced relocations, firings, etc. that have been discussed before. -PurplePeopleEater-

Comment 07/24/09: From "Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture": "A bricklayer or carpenter or teacher, a musician or salesperson, a writer of computer code -- any and all can be craftsmen. Craftsmanship cements a relationship between buyer and seller, worker and employer, and expects something of both. It is about caring about the work and its application. It is what distinguishes the work of humans from the work of machines, and it is everything that IKEA and other discounters are not."
Substitute "IBM" for "IKEA" in that quote and it would be just as true. The review doesn't mention IBM specifically, but it's still relevant to this forum: http://www.salon.com/books/review/2009/07/12/cheap/index.html -anonymous-

Comment 07/24/09: www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090724/NEWS/907249998
I found this article interesting. There have been rumors of the 2nd shift being slashed or hourse reduced soon. Why have all hands meeting in the "evening". Why no IBM official source mentioned. This seems strange to me. IBM never announces anything, especially something so vague. If IBM is not hiring any more workers, it can't be that significant amount of work incoming? Anyone hear anything more specific? -STG East Fishkill Survivor-

Comment 07/24/09: Problem and Change mission moving to GDF in Dubuque Iowa. Complete move mid January 2010. -On the Move-

Comment 07/24/09: >>It's official. This 'discussion' will move or be moved to General Comments
Good move. His only purpose here was to disrupt with lies. Notice that his union support was only 'pseudo' union support. lastdino posts along the very same lines on the Yahoo boards. Big Ho is a management plant. Will you really allow him to post in the General Comments section? Don't you ban management plants here? -anonymouse-
Alliance Reply: Technically, we ban management because Federal law prohibits IBM Management from spying on us or pretending to spy. However, he/she claims to be RA'ed out of IBM. We have had plenty of posts from ex-IBMers and ex-IBM managers that are anti-union. We post many of them because it's good to know how your enemy thinks; if they could be considered enemies. Not all IBM ex-management and/or management work against us. Sometimes they work in our favor, in a very clandestine manner. Our approach to all posts has to be balanced as often as possible. We have to respect our members wishes, and we have to try to reach the rest of the IBM US population with an alternative to their situation. Our members are doing that from the inside; while we also do it on the outside of IBM. (We rely on our members for the lion's share of the effort). Sometimes that means 'reading the enemy'. Although this is not a game; it sometimes works out like Chess. Sometimes our best organizer is IBM and its executives; because of the things they say and do to the rest of the IBM workers in the US...... as Sonny Bono once sang, "and the beat goes on"
Note: We've received several comments to this section regarding Big Who, since yesterday. All of those comments were moved to the General Visitors Comments section, today.

Comment 07/24/09: I have a friend who works for UPS. UPS outsourced their I/T department to IBM. Guess what IBM's first step was to do? Yep - they found the cheapest labor in India and moved the jobs there. The UPS employees are training their replacements in India. They have no idea what is going to happen to them. They were told the "IBMers" are there to "Help" them with the workload. This guy has 22+ years in with UPS, and still had a defined pension plan with UPS. He's wondering now what will happen to his pension if he's booted out at this point. -It's sad all over-

Comment 07/23/09: This week we were informed one of our managers forced to retire May 1 will be replaced Aug 1 with another former manager. Supposedly a manager needed to be cut in the org in May but now that position is miraculously back. When the manager was forced out in May some of the people that had been around longer said the position would be filled in exactly 90 days to avoid any legal issues. They were right. Just like a tumor, even when management has to cut out one of it's own, another manager steps in to keep sucking life from the sickly person (company). -NewToRchland-

Comment 07/23/09: First, I agree that this discussion might best reside in the general comments section. Is it possible to move already-posted comments to a different section? I don't see how this dialog (or, the competing diatribe) between Big Who and Exodus and others contributes (or, contribute) to the mission of this alliance. On a humorous note... I will ignore the grammatical errors in all the posts... as these errors have nothing to do with the quality of the basic ideas being expressed! Yes, I'm being a bit sarcastic. With that said, there IS a difference between singular and plural, between "its" and "it's", between "there", "their", and "they're", and so on. Snippy unemployed person here - and yes, I believe that snippy isn't a word - though I ought to research this! -hmm-
Alliance reply: Ok... It's official. This 'discussion' will move or be moved to General Comments

Comment 07/23/09: Here's an edited version of Big Whoever's last post. I don't agree with BW's ideas; my intent is just to help others to read the ideas, without focusing on the poor grammar.
**** Guys, it's all about information asymmetry. ****

**** Have you ever heard of [the] efficient market theory - [that is,] how do people make money if everyone knows the same thing? Of course, [I know some things which you do not, and vice versa.] ****

**** [My] goal is to stay ahead of the game.****

**** Take [my opinions] for what [they're] worth. [It's true.. or, In my opinion...], I know how internal service and client delivery staff are viewed –****

{I stopped editing here, as the original text is too confusing. Please continue to read the original post, if you can stand it.} -Edited Copy-

Comment 07/23/09: He/She says nothing of importance other than finding a forum to post a lot of information that should at best be moved to General Comments. A Fast Tracker that left as part of the RA back in April...claiming it was planned...makes any other post suspect. This section is for specific information of Job Cuts, Resource Actions, and Firings. -Big Who Are You-

Comment 07/23/09: WOW. What a load of Bullshit. Big Ho must have been at least a third line manager to believe that crap he posts. He or She also uses big words correctly so that means higher then a first line manager and probably a second line. Most first lines have trouble walking and chewing gum in IBM anymore. A union would be good for competitors? How could treating employees fairly with a budget able payroll cost as raises would be defined in a contract hurt IBM? How could going back to having reasonably happy and content workers who feel secure and can concentrate on their jobs 100 percent instead of 75 percent of their time being spent Covering Their Asses because a dipshit Manager is hunting them to show they are a Management team player by finding someone to fire on their own going to hurt IBM. Hell, They may start getting some real quality work like they did when the showed respect for the individual and kicked their competitors asses so hard the government thought they were a monopoly. Wanna save money and maximize future cash flow? Fire the board of directors and the top 4 levels of executive management. Hire all their replacements from India for less then the cost of Sammy's Salary. Send Sammy back to his Families Sub shop on Harford Road in Maryland. Those India executives understand business as well as any American executive. Look what they have built from the ground up and compare it to what IBM management has destroyed from the top down. Make any and all management bonuses payable only through growth in business not cost cutting. That would save Millions in Phony bonuses being payed to the current executives, stop the looting of IBM by accounting thieves and reward true growth in the business which is the only thing that will save the company now. Unionization will reduce margin expansion. Translation. Paying a fair wage will reduce profits. That was the same argument used for prolonging slavery. Trying to steer IBM on a path to growth instead of just trying to save their way to profitability would actually take work. So the just continue the King Louis the Firsts pattern of calling accounting and asking how many people do we have to fire so my bonus is an even 100 Million. How anyone could call this a correct business plan and a correct profit model is beyond me. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/23/09: Budget, what budget? Recognition, what recognition? Person "A" papers approved to become a Distinguished Engineer - Sorry, there's no $ so there is no promotion. Person "B" Nth Invention Plateau - Sorry, there is no $, here's only a piece of paper. Person "C: Congratulations on your Outstanding Technical Achivement Award (OTAA) - Sorry, there is no $, here's only a piece of paper. It is no wonder that people are bailing in Research. Our department has had two highly qualified people in two weeks jump ship to go to other companies. -anon-

Comment 07/23/09: Guys its all about information assymentry. Ever hear of efficient market theory, how do people make money if everyone knows the same thing. Of course there is stuff that I know that you won’t and vise versa. The goal is to stay ahead of the game. Take the information for what its worth, its true, I know what and how internal service and client delivery staff are viewed upon – from a business’s perspective of maximizing future cash flows, IBM is doing the right thing. This may not seem right thing from an empIoyee’s viewpoint, therefore understand some of the skepticism by forum members. I think there is a unique case for unionization within IBM given the govt money – with the money comes additional responsibilities. So all the best in your endeavor. Unionization will reduce margin expansion, therefore IBM profitability...but buy some breathing room for the employees…It will be an interesting case study if it ever occurs at IBM….net net is that its good for the employees and good for the competitors… all for -Big Who-

Comment 07/23/09: To -Exodus2007- yes, BigWho *was* exec management - operative word being *was*. His post is immensely useful to those who got cut, or will be cut, in letting them know just exactly how this "system" works and how they, as non-executives, are looked upon, valued, and treated. Moderators, please leave this highly educational post. Don't punt it just because he *was* an exec... -RA'ed in Jan-
Alliance reply: There is no way to prove that he/she *was* an exec; since his/her post was sent anonymously. As for removing it, we choose to leave it for now. The reason is that he/she makes statements in favor of a union; despite the condescension beneath those words. His/her comments can be taken instructively; if one wishes to do so. Any thinking, intelligent person can differentiate between the right ideas and propaganda. Many that have posted here, have already demonstrated that.

Comment 07/23/09: >> Armed with that knowledge, I never felt my career at IBM would be a long term and work till I retire scheme.
Big Who Bore, your post was too long to read, the sentence above convinced me on what you are, and I bet if I did I would find out you are anti-union and a pro-IBM apologist. Next time, edit your post if you want to post on behalf of the sadistic Nazis at IBM.
>>Big Who was management.
-Exodus2007-, you are absolutely correct. I didn't read his long boring screed, but it's obvious he is management. He is probably lastdino. No need to remove his post though, the sheeple who STILL think 'IBM won't do that to me' and who believe their manager and team leader's lies SHOULD be able to read Big Who Bore's BS and figure out for themselves that he is a union buster. The people with a brain will be able to see through Big Who Bore's BS. For the sheeple: NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/23/09: Big Who said alot and made some fair points. To me it all nets down to this - IBM's execs cant grow IBM's business
by shrinking it. They can only grow the business by selling more of its goods and services. That's something they obviously have no
ability to do. So they resort to the only tool they've got, the axe. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/23/09: Big Who was management. His post says he made executive level in 10 years. He must miss jerking his employees around so he came hear to stroke his EGO. His post should be removed. Retirement does not retire one from the good ole boys club in management. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/23/09: If you are still doubting your need to have a Union behind you look at the recent case of Police Sergent James Crowley. There is NO DOUBT in my mind that if Sergent James Crowley the officer in the Henry Gates case, did not have a Union behind him that
he would be out of a job today. The heck with due process or the facts. POTUS said last night that he does not know all the facts or what went on in in the Gates home but that "the police acted stupidly" . The mayor of his town says that she is still investigating but he "probably was wrong". It's all political. What really happened probably won't be known. Officer Crowley may be 100% right, 100% wrong or somewhere in the middle but without his union rules governing how he can fired he would have been tared, feathered and hung already. It is the same with IBM. Your manager will cave in to the pressure from above no matter if what she/he is doing to you is right or wrong. A contract is our only protection. Right now we are naked. -BFL-
Alliance reply: Any further discussion of this topic must continue on our general visitors comments section.

Comment 07/23/09: Can IBM take any retaliatory action against those that post their resumes online? I want to bail and want to start searching. Thanks in advance! -Curious in VA-
Alliance reply: Yes. Yes. Yes. IBM can do anything they want to. You are an "AT WILL Employee". IBM can fire you for any reason or no reason; and you can quit for any reason or no reason...and any derivative of that is also legal and acceptable to IBMers all over the US. YOU DON"T HAVE A UNION CONTACT. You need to organize and change that situation. When would you like to get started?

Comment 07/23/09: Listen, I didn't not want to come across as someone not aware and understanding of the pain the RAs have caused many IBMers and their families. To the contrary I know what it is like, have felt the pain almost two decades ago in the early 90's recession on what a job loss does to the family. With that I have true empathy towards the IBMers affected in the last round of layoffs. I wish them the best of luck. Armed with that knowledge, I never felt my career at IBM would be a long term and work till I retire scheme. It’s absurd given the jumps in careers and pay one can make with selective lateral and upwards transitions. I made some good moves, made it to an exec level in 10 years. Yet the job was unsatisfying. There is something about the IBM culture that did not resonate with me. Too much cronyism...too little meritocracy. Mind you this is coming from someone who made over $200K a year and could have had a comfortable but boring life if I choose to do so in IBM. The severance was a reason why I was incented to leave and make myself a candidate for the RA, good capital inflow and combined with better opportunities outside the firm was a win-win proposition. So there were others like myself that wanted to leave, and this became a good opportunity to do that - so it’s not surprising some RAed IBMers made a quick transition to a new job, better pay, position -etc. That was the engineered end goal. Will I preclude IBM from future opportunities, depends on the role and pay. Right now I am in an exciting career and personally better off. The only thing I miss from working at IBM is..well nothing. Not even the staff or former colleagues I worked in day and out. I am friends with many of them, even other execs that were RAed, and those still remaining (and are looking for an exit themselves).
With regards to unions, I am pro business therefore I never felt that unions were good for a company, especially a professional services /
white collar work force. I know that is not a popular view on this forum. But my experiences have changed that view. I now also see having lived the IBM ordeal that it actually makes sense to have a union for employees in a quasi govt type institution that IBM has become. Let’s face it, while on the outset IBM is a private company, a not so insignificant part of its revenues and competitive advantage comes from the government. Look at the TARP, green contracts, and DARPA, R&D funding (the $50 million in funding for the STG fab in Albany for example). If IBM accepts so much in govt funding and contracts, then it needs to play by different rules than companies that do not qualify or want to participate in the same. Unionization for IBM employees makes a lot of sense. Let’s leave aside the rhetoric and other crap about how IBM owes you - they don't pure and simple. You need to understand the role of a company, is maximizing return to the shareholders. There is no IBM credo that prioritizes the employees - if you want that then go work for J&J or some other top people centric company. If you can't do that, then Unionize and protect yourself and create additional leverage for yourself though collective bargaining. You don't deserve them, but business is business and a collective bargaining position is stronger than individual cases. To be fair, IBM is taking a lot of govt money, so it has greater social corporate responsibilities in the US (forget its peace corp marketing smoke and mirrors) than other firms. So you may actually be entitled to better benefits.
Here are my two cents:
There is only one way for IBM to make profits today, that is through margin expansion - that means in laymen’s term you either charge more for the service at the same cost of goods (good luck in today's economic environment) or you reduce OPEX and COGs (in services terms employee payroll can be considered cost of services/goods) or you do both. No one is able to charge more in this environment - the 15% drop in GBS revenue is indicative of that. So to make more money they need to take out more costs. If you choose to stay in IBM you will be subject to year over year lean cost cutting practices. If you have a job that can be done elsewhere at lower costs - it will move there. That is the right thing to do. So if you are in "internal" roles...start looking as you are part of the OPEX (S&M, G&A, R&D, etc) that needs to be cut. If you are in a client services role (consulting, etc), you are basically inventory to the company. There is a cost associated with your presence in the company, as such your basic cost (salary + benefits + training + overhead administration) is factored into the margins. IBM looks to make a certain profitability target or PTI (I won't tell what that is, as it would not be right) on your labor. This PTI is net of your gross profit (paying for the corporate jets and other exec perks)... so in order to do margin expansion on an client service staff, you think of them as inventory.
1) reduce employee "costs of goods" (salary + benefits)
2) switch "inventory" (you) to a lower cost of services (typically you can't offshore a client facing resource in the US, but you can hire someone at a lower cost with less exp or credentials)
3) use a variable inventory model (supplemental or subcontract staff)
4) reduce inventory holding and improve turnover (i.e. fire people on the bench).
Remember lower cost inventory (client service employees) does not mean inferior quality or customer service levels, but it DOES mean better margins. So you will need to worry about layoffs and lower raises if any at all. Great environment to work in...isn't it. So for both client facing and internal staff, if you want to avoid some of the pressures caused by margin expansion initiatives, you need to unionize. Pure and simple. It’s the only way the "inventory" and back office can get a voice. With regards to what I believe, I think a company exists for its shareholders. What Mark L did as the CFO was the right thing as a stop gap measure to improve EPS. The problem in IBM's case is that they are playing a game with the EPS numbers, they did it in 2002 and are doing it again in 2009. They are in their 3 reinvention since 1990, move to services from hardware, to "on demand" in 2000, to "smarter planet" in 2009. Nice smoke and mirrors, the last two - though the first one added real substantive value to the shareholders. IBM owes the shareholders - not you the employee. IBM is facing a top line revenue growth issue, and it will as competitors get relatively stronger and its own business start growing at a slower pace and IBM corp can apply the knife only so deep before it starts hurting the boys and gals at Armonk...what no corp jet? This is the typical Agency Cost issue, with management (that is C level and higher) need to offer real value to the real owners of the company -the shareholders. Remember when I said the "inventory" (i.e. the IBM services employee)
has a PTI target that is costs less net of corp overhead charges (the gross margin number)...well for IBM to offer shareholder value they
need to look at those overhead corp charges. Maybe Armonk should be moved to Bangalore....;-) (it may very well happen in some substantive form in the next 5 years)... -Big Who-

Comment 07/22/09: -Gone in 07- has it EXACTLY correct. Some old IBM sayings:

1. How can you tell when a manager is lying? His or her lips move.

2. The difference between a Pimp and a Manager. The Pimp would not sell out his own mother.

3. The difference between a manager in wingtips and a Cowboy in boots. With the cowboy the Bullshit is on the outside of the shoe.

4. A manager will always give you the sleeves out of his vest to get you to do what he wants.

Remember brothers and sisters. When you start listing REAL world job skills an IBM Manager has 0. Most companies have all the ass kissers
they need already. IBM would have to accept a union because it CAN NOT function with its Management skill set of Zero. Managers are trained
to act like your friend. Lie to your face. work you to death for no raises. That's how they get bigger raises and stock options. They have out of town management meetings where they party and trade ideas on how to lie to you. Notice the budget is seldom there for you to get training but the managers ALWAYS have their multiple days meeting. The only way you will EVER be treated with any respect by IBM again is if you organize and force them to a contract. Otherwise expect to be lied to while you train your replacement and then taken out with the trash when they clean out your cubicle. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/22/09: New company, you make more money, you have a higher position, and you enjoy work. Its great. Happy for you. Yet another post saying nothing about Job cuts, Resource Actions, or Firings, grass is greener elsewhere but won't say what company or what field or what part of the country. But heck, glad you're doing so well. -Big Who Are You-
Alliance reply: Well said. Anyone and everyone who visits this site, can leave a comment anonymously. With that option, comes the possibility of sham comments; intentionally made to get IBMers to leave IBM, instead of fighting back for their jobs and organizing their co-workers to do the same. There are also legitimate comments from ex-IBMers that HAVE found better jobs after leaving IBM, with all those good things. We say, good for them. However, the majority of RA'ed IBMers do NOT find those jobs as easily as implied by some posters; notwithstanding that many posts come from IBMers that are NOT members of Alliance@IBM or advocates. So let's be clear. For the sake of an alternative to IBM's propaganda and BS; Alliance@IBM offers these comment sections; and we hope that the discussions and help given here, lead to organizing and ultimately a contract for IBMers.

Comment 07/22/09: To -my sad story- : Let this be a repeated lesson to everybody: Managers lie ! Managers lie, and oh have I mentioned, Managers lie? They are puppets doing what they are told and are concerned about playing the game so they can keep their job. They don't give a hoot about your job. I have never had a manager that didn't lie to me and give me very vague answers. He told you there was more work coming to keep you calm until you had the Indian scab trained. The only way to protect yourself from this is to Organize and Unionize. Unless this happens they can do whatever they want and abuse the American worker -gone_in_07-

Comment 07/21/09: Thought I would check in to see how fomer beemers were doing. Sorry to see its the same old...you guys should really join a union or something. I left as part of the RA back in April...you could say it was planned on my part to get out of the sinking ship, take the severance, and run. I was a fast tracker at The Big Blues...only job since college, made to an exec level in a decade higher than what most people retire at... I am glad I left, while the comfy feeling of being in a govt like company is not there in my new company, I make more money, have a higher position, and enjoy work. Its a lot more work, but its great. Whereas I dreaded working at GBS, it felt like I was a temp employee, even though I was an exec there. Ugh... the place sucked...the more I think about it. So for those wondering and able...go out there and find a greener pasture...the blue pasture is covered in pesticide. If you wondered what it would be if you can die of boredom, work at IBM forever and you will find out. Wow...same old ticks with EPS - they did the same witht the PwC acquisition in 2002 - read how they reported growth in McKinsey Valuation, organic growth actually fell negative that timeframe, they used the orderbooks of PwC to look like they had real growth. I wouldn't blame them if I was the CFO, was the right thing to do - shareholders come first. Remember that and you will disabuse yourself of "making a difference" -Big Who?-

Comment 07/21/09: There isn't anything that hasn't already been posted here previously with regard to jobs being sent offshore. That said, here's my experience. A little over a year ago, I was informed that a portion of my job was going to India. However, my manager did say that the work going to India would be replaced by new work comming into my department. Last October I began giving turnover of a portion of my job to a guy in India. I worked providing turnover to the Indian Team until aproximately December when it was officially decreed that the India guy was the primary contact on the accounts I turned over. Through the first quarter of 2009 I supported him, and I knew he still needed me, but as far as my management was concerned, he was in the drivers seat and I was only there for "an occasional question or two." I asked my manager on two separate occasions when would I see the replacement work he spoke of in the summer of 2008, but his answers were vague and non-commital. Straight talk was never something he specialized in, so I figured sooner or later something would happen. I was right too! Something did happen on March 26th. My manager called me to deliver the news that I had been selected to partcipate in the Resource Action. (BTW, the guy in India paniced when he heard the news!) I left IBM in April. And in case your wondering, the "new work comming in" hasn't materialized yet according to the former teammates that I keep in close contact with. -my sad story-

Comment 07/21/09: I read the A layoff by any other name article! How "Andy Rooney-esque". But the columnist is right. Here's something she didnt say but I will; Palmissano aint got a big enough pair of cojones to come out and tell America in plain English exactly what IBM is doing. Instead IBM's spin doctors are as cleverly deceitful as any you'll find anywhere. The pathetic scumbags. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/21/09: "A layoff by any other name"
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/personal_finance/072109_layoff_by_any_other_name.html -Think-

Comment 07/21/09: >>great post silly willy. -anon- Absolutely great post, -silly willy-. Best part: "UNLESS THERE IS A UNION." If the sheeple don't wake up soon, they too will be fired. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/21/09: to silly willy - that's right. According to this article, EPS increase is due solely to cost cuts. Until tax laws change, it's a great deal to cut American jobs and replace at a fraction overseas -- and still have overall cost savings! And they aren't done yet. "...Now, if you look at the way that $3.5 billion rolls out (cost savings), we’ve got about $0.5 billion in the first quarter, about $1 billion in the second quarter, so that leaves another $2 billion to roll out through the second half of the year. And given that it’s kind of structural in nature, I would look at that kind of evenly distributed across that second half..."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/149843-the-arithmetic-behind-ibm-s-2009-eps-guidance-revision -annonymous-

Comment 07/21/09: It's true that a GDF's location can only lead to a degradation of the level of service provided to it's customers. Here's why; back in early 2008, when some of us in working ITD first heard the term "GDF" but didn't know what it was, I worked on a project with two guys who had very recently reported to the EFK GDF. Not knowing what it was all about, I asked these guys why they were now sitting in Fishkill. One guy politely informed me how they were "making a real difference" now that they we're sitting in the GDF. After having made that comment, both burst into uproarious laughter! "What's so funny?" I asked. It turns out that a few days after reporting to the GDF, one guy was walking in the parking lot towards the building and bumped into his Second Line Manager. The SLM asked the guy how he liked working at the GDF. The guy replied "It's fine." Then the SLM says; "Ya know, we have a chance to make a real difference here." I asked the guy; "What did you say to him??!!" His reply: "Nuthin. I was too busy trying to surpress the urge to barf all over that moron's shoes." -Anonymous-

Comment 07/21/09: To "-Respectfully- " I can relate to your family not thinking you are trying hard enough to find another job. I had a girlfriend that actually told me this. I was looking for work 7 days a week many hours a day putting out hundreds of resumes. She knew this and said that to me anyway. I got rid of the goat, got a new job, and life is good. Keep at it, keep your chin up and something will turn -me_2-

Comment 07/21/09: great post silly willy. -anon-

Comment 07/20/09: to Anonymous that couldn't get another job because they were labeled "offshore" - same thing happened to me. I was offered the job, the job was legit and needed to be backfilled, but the Upper Execs in that division blocked my transfer in. This is what I think - we, the "RA'd resources" are considered overpaid for the current job. A year ago this was not true, we probably even got a raise last year and a great Variable Pay Bonus (I did). This is what I think - IBM took a snapshot of certain jobs/skills. Then they figured which jobs could be offshored. Then they gave those jobs/skills the new "market salary" based on offshoring. So after many years of great appraisals, raises, var pay bonuses us older ones are pretty high compared to the offshore cost. Rather than offer us the Opp to keep our job at the new salary (at least until this recession is over and we have a fighting chance out there) they did a massive RA. So the job I was turned down for - I probably would have been in the same position (overpaid vs. offshore resources). That job was/is probably next on the list to get offshored. We are all feeling the brunt for prior management's decisions to increase our salaries as we perform well over time. What happened in the world - is that technology (i.e. what WE HELPED BUILD) made the market global. That increased competition with third-world countries. That plus a world-wide recession = perfect layoff candidate. This will lead to dis-loyal employees who jump ship at the next better job / salary that comes by... no reason to stay with same company - especially if the OT, travel, or worklife/balance options change.....UNLESS THERE IS A UNION. This is a new paradigm and what goes around comes around. Karma baby. -silly willy-

Comment 07/20/09: RTP folks: if you think you've been RAed because your job is going overseas (as was the case for me), please send me an email at phrl2009(at)yahoo.com. May be we can do something about it. Thanks. -ex-SWG-
Alliance reply: You should also contact the TAA rep for NC at
Jeanette Canady
TRA Coordinator
919-707-1101
E-mail: Jeanette.Canady@ncmail.net

Comment 07/20/09: I also started another job and lost two weeks of vacation per year. I went from work-at-home to around 65 miles each way for a commute. However, I am being treated far better than I had been for years at IBM. The new employer does not feel the need to keep you in constant stress about whether your job will still be there tomorrow, or that you have to play games kissing up to management while ignoring the actual quality of your work. -TBH-

Comment 07/20/09: >>I have never been happier to have a job in my life.
-Sad But True-, you just summed up in your post how the sadists are able to get away with rule by fear.
-NoLongerDadsIBM-, of course it's a truthful and valid comment. But did you notice it's the only one there? Too many are still too afraid of the sadists or resigned (and fired) to leaving the other employees to their own disgraceful fate very near in the future. As in 1999, it's everyone for themselves, until there is no one left. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/20/09: Respectfully to -Spread-The-Word- First, you make perfect sense! However, as an 'RA'ed' IBM ex-employee, I will say that if I even hint at the points you make - which are excellent, btw - my 'friends and family' do not believe me. They believe I am not willing to go the distance to find new employment, in this lovely economy. The economy, btw, is all my fault. No recession here.
With that said, you note that 'IBM is encouraging IBM USA employees to quit and take jobs in 3rd world countries'. Yup, and I have the
project match invite to support that. However, again, no one outside the blue bubble gets what is really going on here. Move along pls,
nothing to see here. Now, having said all of that - do you know whether anyone has used the 'project match' program to pursue a well deserved TAA finding? (TAA = trade adjustment act, I believe). I worked at an IBM location which didn't publish #'s of laid-off workers, as the layoffs at my 'site' didn't meet WARN rules. Still, it seems to me that, as I was offered the opportunity to find work in a developing market, that yes, my job *was* likely affected by IBM trade practices. Your thoughts? -Respectfully-

Comment 07/19/09: Well said... Forbes article on IBM -NoLongerDadsIBM-

Comment 07/19/09: I'll go you one better. I was RA'd this year and did see an internal job posted that was a perfect fit. It took some back and forth communications via Randy's office and division HR, but I was eventually told - in writing -that I could not have the job because it was marked to be offshored. -anonymous-

Comment 07/18/09: I was RA'd from STG RTP with my last day being June 1. The job market for tech in Raleigh is terrible. I was lucky. A friend got me a job at another company. I started last week. I took a $15 k pay cut. I lost two weeks vacation. My 401k will not fully vest for five years and the cost of health insurance is very high. I don't get to work from home anymore, I commute 35 miles one way in terrible traffic. The people I work with are not very skilled and the work is basically boring. I have never been happier to have a job in my life. -Sad But True-

Comment 07/18/09: "How long can they sustain this?"
Rochester: Probably at least through 2010 based on the so-called IBM financial "roadmap". For instance. there are still about 100K USA employees to cost cut with. The "roadmap" I think is actually as far as the IBM CEO and executives wish to hang around IBM until they can get all their greedy stock options exercised and their platinum parachutes (much better than the gold one) for retirement before IBM starts to implode upon itself when all this down revenue and cost cutting profits catches up to IBM. -anonymous-

Comment 07/18/09: I agree with "I agree". I've submitted many resumes/application and haven't received ONE positive response. I'm trying to find a good job while I'm still employed. I'm certain my admin. job will off shored in the next year. I can't get arrested. -anon-

Comment 07/18/09: This is disgraceful. Last year American corporations paid more taxes to foreign governments than to the United States. "
...But it's not just jobs migrating abroad—it's now tax dollars too, a senior index analyst at Standard & Poor's says..." see full text here:
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jul2009/pi20090716_980847.htm -annonymous-

Comment 07/18/09: >>Recently I obtained a job posting that describes my former position to a "T". When I was RAed I was working reduced hours on maternal LOA program. Can I sue IBM for discrimination?
No. I saw my own job posting that the offshore resource who replaced me was PUSHED to apply for so she could be hired for my job. You can't sue for jack. IBM has you coming and going. But hey: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. By the way, do the morons at Mother's magazine still rate IBM as a wonderful place to work? Have you written to them? -anonymouse-

Comment 07/17/09: I agree with Anonymous, who states that 'The package is not that much...' To be even more specific, the package is NOT that much when you realize that you can't find another job. Yes, I do read the posts which state (boast) that the individual found a job paying __% more than their job at IBM, with a more congenial team / organization / company / ... fill in the blanks yourself. Then, I talk to prior colleagues who can't get a callback or an interview. And - to avert the expected rant from people claiming that these are poor performers, or should let the next generation take their jobs, yada yada - these are folks with a proven track record before IBM and while at IBM. They had the misfortune to still have jobs at IBM when IBM's model changed to offshore many jobs (aka careers). And no, they should NOT be told to move over or step aside for the next generation. I'll ask you one question: How the heck do you think they can fund a retirement of 40 or more years - without a pension? If you know that answer, please post. If you prefer to criticize people for being born before 1965, please find another venue for your opinions. -I agree-

Comment 07/17/09: I was RAed in Feb 2009. I signed a severance document and now I am collecting UI. Recently I obtained a job posting that describes my former position to a "T". When I was RAed I was working reduced hours on maternal LOA program. Can I sue IBM for discrimination? Discrimination against working mothers? Any tips? I was not a union member. -a_mom-
Alliance reply: I am sorry for your job loss and the effect it has on you. I understand your feelings of betrayal.
Yes, you may file a lawsuit; however, you need a good amount of evidence that you were discriminated against. It is a very hard row to hoe. Find an attorney, and present her/him with your reason for litigation. Listen to her/him carefully, when they elaborate on what I've just said. Many, many people have gone before you. This will not be the first time IBM has been sued; nor the last.
IBM continues to fire people at will, because they are AT WILL Employees. Regardless if you are a working mother, working father, single, married, divorced, white, black, asian, brown, christian, jewish, muslim, hindu, atheist or whatever, IBM doesn't care about you; and has plenty of legal funds to fight you in court.
This is why we continue to remind everyone that visits this web site: You are an AT WILL EMPLOYEE. You have no employment contract and you have no bargaining power while you are an IBM employee. You all need to organize, NOW.
It is truly the only way to move forward, toward any kind of job security, benefits, and fair treatment on the job.

Comment 07/17/09: We need a NON USA Labor Tax in excess of 50% for all work sent offshore. -anonymous-

Comment 07/17/09: On the GDF issue, is there anyone out there who has refused to move and received a severance package? If so, what was the strategy you followed to gain the package? I was already RA'd on April 27th after 12 years so I'm asking for several of my friends who just received news a couple of days ago. They are pretty much shaking in their shoes and are afraid to ask anyone. Get this... they are forced to "apply" for their own positions that are being moved to Boulder. Can you effin' believe that? I definitely can and never thought I'd witness these days. I remember brimming with passion about my company when I went to the LEADing@IBM conference in Armonk, 2006. What a laugh... -NoLongerDadsIBM-

Comment 07/17/09: Revenues are down by 13% and profits are up by 12%. That is a *lot* of cost-cutting to make up the difference. Where is all this cost-cutting coming from? How long can they sustain this? It's kind of bizarre. -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 07/17/09: - Does anyone know how the GDF bull goes? If one is financially, emotionally or physically in no shape to move, will the RA package be offered? The move is from RTP to Boulder, CO.-
When was the last time IBM cared about their employees' personal situations? I think you know the answer...-anonymous-

Comment 07/16/09: When your friends and family ask you how your job is going, tell them. Tell them exactly what's happening. Tell them that you are constantly under the threat of losing your job because IBM is looking to offshore it to a 3rd world country. Tell them that not only this, but IBM is encouraging IBM USA employees to quit and take jobs in 3rd world countries, where they will be re-banded, re-salaried, and will no longer be paying into Social Security, Medicare, or US taxes. Tell everyone you know. Shine the spotlight. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. -Spread-The-Word-

Comment 07/16/09: To -NoLongerDadsIBM- - you ask if you might get an RA package. The package is not that much. It would vary based on your salary and length of service, but you might be doing really well if you get, after taxes, about $30,000 (the max of 26 weeks pay for someone with a fairly high annual salary). That is NOT MUCH. Yes, better than nothing, but not much. -anonymous-

Comment 07/16/09: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jYpkTNZ64NL2ChxIgIcRiwcWd4HQD99FOLM83 -annonymous-

Comment 07/16/09: Sungard Availability Services is getting ready to do the same offshoring that IBM has done and continues to do. When will US companies realize that their data can be viewed, copied, deleted by so many non-US citizens in foreign countries. It is so scary to even think of what could happen. -PB-

Comment 07/16/09: To those making comparisons with respect to the differences between GDF and SDC models, my comment pertaining to "location" is further supported by your responses. I agree there is a huge skills difference but skills do grow over time. I was focusing on "location" being more virtual and widespread compared to everyone being in "Boulder, CO" regardless of where the accounts are located. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/16/09: In regards to GDF's IBM management considers the day to day activities in managing outsourcing as a commodity. FACT
They also consider that as a commodity, it should be cheaper than what they pay to employees above band 5... FACT Where does that leave anyone who doesnt want to commute to a GDF or one who seeks to grow their careers in IBM? Use your head... you already know the answer. I mentioned the reduction on the PM's before it happened, as well as other actions. The writting is on the wall. Sam made commitments to the street on eps for stock. They will reach it..by slashing jobs and back filling with cheap staff in GDF's. The rumor mill about band 5 being the highest is correct..FACT There will be a few exceptions, but not many at all. Customer sat is irelevant now days. Cost is the primary factor for outsourcing. Many top level clients are figuring out IBM is cutting North American Staffing and there fore cost:They now want their contract costs reduced. Its a race to the bottom for IT folks. Its over within IBM. The street is not much better. There is jobs and some companies do pay a decent wage, but when IBM gets this going, you can be assured others will follow. TCS (Tata) is already more cost competitive and ibm has to compete with their low overhead... these moves are to align with those costs. I always felt that customer facing roles would be safe.. I did to my peril. Keep your resume up to date and take as much educational opportunities that you can. DONT count on a long term job. Look out for you and not ibm... its not the same ibm it was 10 years ago...those days are gone. Good luck to all... -sore sphincter-

Comment 07/16/09: Does anyone know how the GDF bull goes? If one is financially, emotionally or physically in no shape to move, will the RA package be offered? The move is from RTP to Boulder, CO. -NoLongerDadsIBM-

Comment 07/16/09: Forbes reporting 16,000 job cuts so far in 09:
"Combined with the 16,000 layoffs or so it undertook earlier this year, those cost-cutting measures will likely keep the company on track to hit the $9.20-per-share profit projection for 2009, " http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/14/ibm-earnings-enterprise-technology-enterprise-tech-ibm.html -annonymous-

Comment 07/16/09: There are many differences between the GDF strategy and the old SDC strategy. However, they can neither be seen or more importantly be appreciated by reading this board. Ask anyone who is currently at the Fishkill GDF who used to sit in an office in either Poughkeepsie or SBY when they were part of SDC-North. They'll tell you what the differences are. It's the little things like sitting in an office with a door as opposed to sitting in the GDF's "open landscape" where you cant hear yourself think. -anonymous-

Comment 07/16/09: Rumours going around about end of July RA's in Canada. -anonymous-

Comment 07/15/09: "Comment 07/15/09: I don't see much difference between the GDF strategy and the old SDC strategy, really - besides location. -Anonymous-"
There's a huge difference. The staff at SDCs were dedicated fulltimers, experienced, skilled, and could do their jobs to meet
SLAs. The GDFs are body shop/meat market cattle pens staffed mostly with entry level newbies learning as they go on the customer's dime. Get what ya pay for, and in the case of unskilled labor, maybe not even. LOL. -veteran tech-

Comment 07/15/09:. No, in reply to the Alliance poster.. what I said was a broad tax cut. I meant that for individuals, that is, taxpayers - not a corporate tax cut. An individual taxcut would pump the stimulus into the economy immediately and with far less overhead. -jmcnamera-
Alliance reply: Please continue this discussion on the General Visitors comments section. It doesn't apply here.

Comment 07/14/09: RE: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124753066246235811.html#articleTabs%3Dcomments
Zuckerman nailed it in this article..... -Man in the Mirror-
Zuckerman's article is great. The problems won't be solved by the current stimulus plan. What is needed is a broad immediate tax cut. It could cost less than the stimulus plans and be faster with far less overhead. Unfortunately, it wouldn't allow politicians to direct spending to their supporters so it won't happen. -jmcnamera-
Alliance reply: Please continue this discussion on the General Visitors comments section. It doesn't apply here.

Comment 07/15/09: "We who were retiring (bridged to retirement) signed a second document for this saying that we would not become re-employed by IBM. Younger workers can be rehired."
IBM doesn't want experienced. skilled workers anymore. Shame on them! Once IBM can't make any decent profits anymore to get to their projected EPS (earnings per share), and that day is coming, they will get desperate and then ask for their veterans to come back just to survive. It's happened at other big companies who followed the same practice of forcing early retirement to it's workers. Remember: IBM is a company that looks at a horizon and never over it. It's a terrible pitch to customers that IBM has more than half it's workforce having 5 years of experience or less. It shows the company has no real experience and collective expertise. This is showing itself more and more these days and customers and prospective customers are reacting to it. If IBM wants to force out all experienced, veteran employees it is their loss, not yours. -anonymous-

Comment 07/15/09: I don't see much difference between the GDF strategy and the old SDC strategy, really - besides location. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/15/09: To retired: This may be the way it now is in companies like IBM but people who sell their self-respect and dignity for a few dollars have nothing but my pity. In the long run when the company is nothing but soulless, untalented ass kissers how long do you think it will stay in business? It's just another ponzi scheme, the people who get out sooner will have some $$$ minus their self-respect, the rest will have neither. -anon-

Comment 07/14/09: >>The only problem is how many people actually want to go out and try to sell their home right now.
Wait, they are forcing people to go back to an office that is not within driving distance of their home? Is that legal?
Silly question: AT WILL EMPLOYEE.
>>the only other choice is to "volunteer" resign.
Why? That's playing right into their sadistic hands. Just refuse and make them fire you. You wouldn't have gotten any severance anyway. If you move (REALLY, they can do that?) you're screwed anyway, because they WILL fire you, bet on it.
>>any assurance that if you relocate you wont be RAed a week later.
That IS the master plan. They did it in the 1990s, they're doing it again.
> its surely not ethical.
You have the wrong company if you want ethics. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/14/09: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124753066246235811.html#articleTabs%3Dcomments
Zuckerman nailed it in this article. He couldn't be more correct. One key sentence is "Many unemployed workers looking for jobs once the recovery begins will discover that jobs as good as the ones they lost are almost impossible to find because many layoffs have been permanent." A lot of that is due to offshoring and national tax policy that encourages it. Unions can't advocate alone - it's going to take citizens insisting to representatives that tax breaks end for offshoring, and constraints on which companies get Stimulus. Keep track of how your representatives vote on these issues and remember that on voting day. You elected them. senate.gov house.gov -Man in the Mirror-

Comment 07/13/09: Just posting here wondering if anyone can shed more details on IBM's new GDF strategy. Sounds like a complete reversal of all the work from home, work Flex stuff they have been tell us is great for years. Now we all have to move to one of three sites and be one big happy family. The only problem is how many people actually want to go out and try to sell there home right now. And of course the only other choice is to "volunteer" resign. I actually ran into an old manager of mine the other day and he told me that they are not even giving people any Moving Allowances or any assurance that if you relocate you wont be RAed a week later. Is this even legal, its surely not ethical. -GDF'ed in 2010-

Comment 07/13/09: We who were retiring (bridged to retirement) signed a second document for this saying that we would not become re-employed by IBM. Younger workers can be rehired.
Why would you want to be rehired by that place?? -irRational-

Comment 07/13/09: "Comment 07/13/09: Here are some ways that show IBM is acting in a manner for age discrimination"
We all know that IBM has been guilty of age discrimination for years, but will likely never be prosecuted.... The charge doesn't get pursued because there's going to be no financial gain (and perhaps a lot of lost money in legal fees) if we signed the severance agreement. Posting here will do nothing to improve the situation. Write to your elected officials and tell them you don't want your state and Federal tax monies going to companies that discriminate like this. I did so and was surprised to receive a call from a staffer asking what data I had to support the age discrimination claim. I told him there was evidence in virtually every severance packet given to those laid off. -Think-
Alliance reply: and what was the response when you told him about the severance packet evidence??

Comment 07/13/09: Here are some ways that show IBM is acting in a manner for age discrimination. 1) A retiree health plan (FHA) with a premium that is double the Cobra amount - meaning twice the cost to the employee of a similar plan offered to younger non-retired IBMers. 2) We who were retiring (bridged to retirement) signed a second document for this saying that we would not become re-employed by IBM. Younger workers can be rehired. -anonymous-

Comment 07/11/09: Had to laugh - while looking for my next job, I came across an IBM ad seeking a PM for a US contract. They specifically said they preferred a *non-degreed* individual but also had a PMP and other IT certifications. Command of the english language only had to be "basic." Nice wish list. Reading between the lines, I'd say they are looking to low-ball on salary. Silly me, I thought I was doing the right thing when I earned a B.S. and M.B.A. But all it did was earn me a place in the bread-line as far as IBM is concerned. RA'd in 2009. I can't imagine a person being a very effective project mgr in the US with only a basic knowledge of English. -JohnBoy-

Comment 07/11/09: >> he was one of a few younger employees selected for RA (under age 30).
Good post, -NewToRchland-. Re the noted comment, IBM does this so that they can hire back the young person (the rehiring was already planned when they fired them), screw the older employees, and still say to anyone watching them (although there really isn't anyone watching anymore): well, we WERE fair and balanced in our firings; see, we included a young employee in addition to the old employees. Clever, don't you think?

You're very welcome, Rick. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/11/09: Hey, IBM Burlington recalling laid off workers. Unfortunately it is only the temp workers that were previously laid off. Does not apply to perms that were let go. I am sure they will get some takers due to the economic situation around here. Most will just show up for the free internet!! Betterthanthem. -Blued-

Comment 07/11/09: Kim Komando had to be talking about IBM! It is common knowledge now that being an I/T Specialist, Senior I/T Specialist, I/T Architect, in IBM In the USA, Canada, and UK means your not appreciated and you will be pushed out in favor of a BRIC employee. If one could compile all the RA's you would see a large percentage of the I/T folks being RAed even those with great skills, broad or specialized. IBM just keeps the no-nothing managers, team leads, and project executives who usually have to have other folks install software and do Microsoft Office for them since they are not generally I/T savvy at all. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: I am a 'Kim Komando' newsletter, "daily tip and cool site of the day', subscriber. Much of what she has to offer is good, sound advice; however, she doesn't talk about job loss or unions or anything 'controversial'. She also only advocates pro-Microsoft OS products and platforms. I'm a linux user and I occasionally need technical help with its functions. I have never been able to get any help from her. She also doesn't reply to questions you send her. I don't know why.

Comment 07/11/09: >>I may be told to remove this reply and your comment eventually; but I'm hoping it can stay long enough for visitors here to see for themselves what IBM management is really made of.
Rick, please don't remove the post. The corporate apologists and management plants go by many names and many ids on this and the many
IBM Yahoo boards. They've done so since 1999. They denigrate the real IBMers and taunt them with talk of solid financial retirements and
easy, carefree days thanks to the 'generosity' of IBM. Real IBMers know they are lying.
TFL told the employees when they were screwed in 1999 to go use the options available to them, and he and Socks Bouchard are sorry at
least about one attempted hosing, i.e., the reversal of the forced CB plan (remember what Socks said, that everyone 'wants' a portable
pension) for those over 40.
Employees (and retirees) are still using the internet, and hopefully someday will realize that a union is, as it was in 1999, the last resource of a downtrodden peoples who still fear for their jobs and kowtow to a management who takes advantage of that fear.
Having had great, good and decent management for decades, even I was in disbelief when my last manager turned out to be a sadist. The fact
that the scenario was much like 1939 Germany, the team leader Goebbels to Hitler the manager, was a serious shock to me. There may be some
employees who do NOT have a sadist for a manager, and they are very lucky.
Having spent the last ten years convinced of the need of unionization, albeit watching the availability of intelligent, aware IBMers decreasing, I can still say that the only hope IBMers have against the sadistic management who throw away good IBMers like used tissues is to unionize.
If not? Well, they will soon be here, echoing the sentiments of so many who have gone before and been screwed.

NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Thank you for your support and your comments. They are appreciated more than you know.
I've been told that I can keep this comment and reply posted.

Comment 07/11/09: To -LaidOffApril2009-, I work at the Rochester site and knew someone under the age of 30 that was selected for RA. He was a caucasian SW Engineer, but based on the RA package for STG in Feb. (he was an STG employee), he was one of a few younger employees selected for RA (under age 30). I would not say he was a high performer (very likely got a 2 rating), but he was not a 3.

-Exodus2007- you are always right on with your comments. I have proactively tried to recruit my co workers but none sounds interested.
I want to see IBM unionized but fear I will need to leave for another employer that is already unionized..

IBM is willing to give me "resource enhancements" including 100% degree repayment for now but in 2 or 3 years I doubt this will be the case. I would be willing to take 25% or 50% reimbursement for full transparency in resource decisions. AN IBM UNION DOES NOT HAVE TO EQUATE TO THE OVER-COMPENSATED AUTO-WORKER WE CONTINUE TO HEAR ABOUT. I am a high performer but not because I want to make more than "average". I want IBM to succeed and IBM to continue compensating me fairly. This is what a union is for. I am sick to know several of
my co-workers have been laid off and I have been given a raise. IF IBM HAD A UNION WE COULD HELP DECIDE IF RAISES SHOULD BE GIVEN OR PEOPLE SHOULD BE CUT. NO UNION, NO CONTRACT, AT WILL EMPLOYEE. My manager tells me I am safe as long as he is. I wonder what will happen if his job is on the line to save 1% budget to meet targets. One of my 2 (solid contributor) colleagues will be cut if it's his
job or the guy that can actually do something technical. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TRADE MY MEAGER 2.0% RAISE (for 1 or 2+ performance) FOR KNOWING A FEW OF MY LAID OFF COLLEAGUES WOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE US. IN TODAY\'S MARKET, ZERO RAISE IS EXPECTED, BUT FEW LAYOFFS ARE AS WELL. I WOULD TAKE THE STUPID 15% PAYCUT FROM LAST YEAR (WHICH IHAD REVERSED) IF IT MEANT MORE PEOPLE WOULD KEEP THEIR JOBS. SADLY, NO UNION CONTRACT, AT WILL EMPLOYEEE, NO SAY IN FINANCIAL DECISIONS.

I will stay with IBM until they stop serving me. No union contract, at will EMPLOYER. If you can get your employer to pay you extra for education, travel, etc. without a union contract, make sure to accept. This is your only way to balance the grip management has on you. Every time management leaves an opening for taking their money, take it. I do not think first or second line management is evil, but levels beyond that may have been bought for amounts you will never see. With a union contract, we might have a hope of seeing (and god forbid, affecting) these amounts. I joined this company in good faith five years ago. I PLANNED to work for IBM for my career for 25-30 years. After just 2-3 years I saw how foolish I was. I am willing to put in extra work for an employer that will go an extra step for me. IBM no longer is this kind of company. If you put in an extra 2-5% for them they don't fire you, instead of recognizing your put in extra. This is not to say a good first or second line will not, but it is the exception, not the rule, I have been very lucky and am truthfully thankful for moral management. In the old IBM, I would have put in whatever was
necessary to get the job done. Now I will only put in what my manager cares about, which is just enough to report for measurements, which doesn't go back to me, or (sadly) the department. If I knew my work went back to the department as it likely would under a union contract, I would feel more responsibility than today. Today everything is subjective to how my first line reports it to second and above management, which is all skewed to management's preferences, not actual deliveries. Until a union contract is signed, get what you can from management. Look at this from their perspective 100%. If they will pay for your certification or masters degree or doctorate, make them do it. They won't give you the money without justification. Management is looking for everything "cheap" they can to hold onto good talent. If you are what they consider good talent, they will pre-approve you to degree work study. If they won't, ask them why, document it (you might need their flawed logic if they give you a bad rating). -NewToRchland-
Alliance reply: I decided to post your comment. It is as you say, a bit long, but it is a relevant post, that deserves to be posted. Hopefully, someone who still works at IBM and visits this site; will read it and decide to organize and begin the process of fighting back.

Comment 07/10/09: I realize you won't post this but I find it amusing that people still don't understand the politics of working in a big company. Ass kissers win and those who think they can make it on talent alone will lose. Make a friend with your manager and see how the world changes. Just make sure you are with a hi-flyer manager and you'll be pulled along. Good luck -retired-

Alliance reply: Dear -John-, -LifeisGoot-, -BigBlue-, -retired-, -anynameuwant-;
We know who you are, where you are and what you are. We know what your opinion is. You don't support a union or the idea of an employment contract negotiated collectively by union member employees; yet, you think that your point of view matters on a web site like this one. We asked you several months ago to either join, donate or contribute something to our cause, so that you could continue sending your comments to our comment sections. So far, you have not selected any of those options. So we don't post your comments. The only reason I'm posting your comment this time, is because I want the visitors here to see what kind of person you really are.
In many of your past comments; sent by the names I listed in the begining of this reply, you insist on trying to steer IBMers away from forming a union.. Or at the very most, you will not speak in favor of it.
You gloat over your great retirement benefits, and your IBM service time as a manager and you actually believe that your experience is something people come here to benefit from. You brag about still being in the "management loop" with some of your management and upper management 'good ole boys & buddies'. You then advise people here to 'kiss ass', treat your manager good ( even if he/she doesn't deserve it), and best of all you imply that IBMers, worried about getting a 2+ PBC, should work more hours, work harder, keep their mouth shut and their head down.
Aside from being delusional; you are annoying and consistently uninformed about workers rights in the workplace.
As of this reply to your post, I hereby announce that your advice, your counsel, and your opinions and comments are not welcome here. However, I do recommend that all future visitors; upon reading this post, will search through our archives for your "gems of wisdom".
I may be told to remove this reply and your comment eventually; but I'm hoping it can stay long enough for visitors here to see for themselves what IBM management is really made of.
Rick White
Treasurer, Organizer & Web Maintenance
and Health & Safety Rep
CWA Local 1701
Alliance@IBM
www.allianceibm.org
Twitter ID: @Allianceibm

Comment 07/10/09: Kim Komando, former IBMer and radio talk show computer expert, says she would not go back to work for "a big corporation." I wonder which big corporation she speaks of?
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/2009-07-08-cloud-business_N.htm -Anonymous-

Comment 07/09/09: It's not gender/race but rather an issue of how "connected" some employees are. For example, the spouses of managers, whether male or female, are protected to the extent their jobs last far longer than they would otherwise. Ex-managers also have some level of protection, because they used to be part of the club. But eventually the chopping block catches up to some of them. -anti-nepotism-

Comment 07/09/09: A very close personal friend of mine is the Teamleader in a sister department. Last fall, my friend told me that the department manager had spoken with my friend regarding three separate members of the team. The manager bluntly asked my friend; Which of these three guys do you think I should lay off should there be a Resource Action?" (There was a RA shortly thereafter) My friend told the boss; "Thats' YOUR decison. I'll provide you with my input as to what I think are each guys strengths and weaknesses, and you can use that info as you see fit." I dont believe all Teamleaders in IBM are as ethical as my friend. However, I do believe there are an awful lot of unethical scumbags in management like my friends manager. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/09/09: We have gone around again in a circle. From The president and congress are going to save our jobs to the realization that they are not going to do anything in particular to save any IBM jobs. As I have stated before. Only you can organize IBM. It does not take an act of Congress or a Presidential edict. Blaming the President for loss of IBM jobs and no help from the stimulus when we wrote the President and Congress asking them to deny IBM any lucrative contracts because of their offshoring jobs is ridiculous. We can not have it both ways. When will people realize that for 10 years the CWA has been trying to help IBMers Organize to save jobs and get fair treatment. Stop blamestorming. Its not Bushes Fault. Its not Clintons fault. Its not Obamas fault. Its our fault. WE failed to organize in 1999. Then again in 2000, etc etc etc. Now its 2009. Will 2010 be the magic year ? As IBM U.S. employees numbers dwindle maybe we will get 51 percent by default. Maybe the last 100 employees left in the U.S. will have 51 Alliance members . As they go from IBM location to IBM location turning out the lights and locking the doors and hammering the for sale signs in front of the buildings maybe they will pause to vote yes and demand a contract with a good severance plan for when the last building goes dark. Or maybe they will join the gravediggers union as they will be laying IBM to rest. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/09/09: To LaidOffApril2009: Trust me, in IBM's RA, gender/race groups are NOT protected. I am a female engineer on Technical Resource and was cut in Feb. 90% of my team is cut including my manager and it includes all kinds of gender and minority groups you are implying. -LaidOffFeb2009-

Comment 07/09/09: I was at the FairLakes Hyatt in Fairfax, VA over the weekend. This is the hotel IBM GBS uses for employees coming in for new-hire orientation. When I was hired we had over 200 people in the orientation session. I noticed about 30 people waiting for the shuttle bus on Monday morning. IBM is bringing in new faces (meeting the gender/racial diversity numbers) while laying people off - this just pisses me off. Whatever happen to retraining individuals. I wonder if anyone has done any analysis on the breakdown of age/gender/race group for the layoffs in 2009. I would bet my check that gender/race group were protected (whether the work gets done or not) to meet diversity numbers. I have worked for numerous companies but I have seen more diversity than here at IBM - what ever happen to hiring the best qualified person for the job. Not only is IBM going down but unfortunately the United States is becoming a second-class country. I am still waiting for the Stimulus Plan to help me (the great messiah). -LaidOffApril2009-
Alliance reply: The Alliance has talked to RA'd employees who are of all races, men and women. It is not true that they have been "protected". As far as the stimulus money, only a small percentage has been given out. Enough of the "messiah" nickname.

Comment 07/09/09: Has anyone else noticed how IBM's strategy to justify eliminating a program is based on participation? Elimination of the UK pension was based in part on "only 25% participation." How did they get to that low a percentage? Probably by eliminating much of its older workforce. Doing so killed 2 birds with one stone: it justified eliminating the program and reduced the number of workers who might protest the change. I'm sure it was easier to freeze the US pension plan after IBM dumped so many older workers here, too. In 1999, when they first tried meddling with pensions, there were too many of us old folks around. By 2006, when the freeze was announced, they'd sold off some divisions heavy in gray hair and laid off enough gray haired folks to "justify" the change. I guess management's philosophy is, "if you can't beat 'em, dump 'em." -Think-

Comment 07/09/09: IBM could lose $1.16B Indiana welfare project: http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/story/5519096/ -AnotherOneBitesTheDust-

Comment 07/08/09: I was laid off (fired) from IBM in the March 26 group. From the day I learned I was selected I didn't do 1 iota of work for IBM. I worked my resume, worked my contacts, roamed the internet job sites and found a job within 5 weeks. All I can say to those who recently were fired by IBM (or those reading this in fear that YOUR turn is coming) is that there is good employment outside IBM. I am at a company of 1,200 people, I talk to the CIO, and other decision makers on a weekly basis. I have a pension, yes a pension, a 401K and a salary 10% higher than my band 8 salary at IBM. Don't panic, use you skills and intelligence to find something that you want to do. Good luck to my former IBM'ers, still some of the best in the world -Sagemeister-

Comment 07/08/09: From http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/aig200908?currentPage=4:
"The banks that used A.I.G. F.P. to insure piles of loans to IBM and G.E. now came to it to [...]."
Why has IBM needed piles of loans in recent years? Is it to fund stock buybacks (and even, possibly, dividends)? -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 07/08/09: -Noamigoofsam- I've had 5 team leads in my 9 years. One was good, the other 4 were complete and utter losers. The one good one technically was not a team lead for long but went on to do bigger things. The rest pushed the team and took the credit and the very last one we had was the biggest piece of sh*t. He had zero skills and sucked up to the manager and had a BIG mouth. Loved to yell at people. He'll get his eventually. The only protection from this abuse is to organize and Unionize! -Gone_in_07-

Comment 07/08/09: >>Where did you find them?
On the ibmpension board, message # 67687. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ibmpension/message/67687
I'm sorry to hear they are not unionized. I guess the Works Council is subject to whatever IBM wants to do to it.

>>getting rid of ass-kissing Team Lead types
Not going to happen, -Noamigoofsam-. My Team Leader, whom I 'thought' was a decent human being, delivered a threat to me from my manager. Oh, and then the guy, AFTER threatening me on behalf of my manager, who pulled his strings, wanted a 'favor'. Sadly for him, I wouldn't capitulate. The managers utilize the Team Leaders to do their dirty work and stay one degree away from their 'resources'. All they then need to do is report to upper management what a good little 'team' of sheeple they have reporting to them. Incredible.

>> If I was laid off in April instead of February I would have been able to get both.. -also_RA'd_in_2009-
But I 'think' that if you're still without a job, you can now apply. I think it is based on when the five quarters expired, i.e., end of April. Someone else here can confirm or deny.-anonymouse-

Comment 07/08/09: What happened in Indiana is also what happened in Texas. IBM sells these large contracts that there is no way then can deliver on. IBM has great salespeople. But there is no one left to perform the work after the sale now.
I want to know when these state governments and the federal government are going to wake up to IBM antics. They are wasting taxpayer money by having IBM do the work. What they don't know is that IBM is contracting people to perform the work and then charging double what the normal cost would be. What a shame. I HATE IBM! -In Texas-

Comment 07/08/09: To RA'd in 2009: Unfortunately for me, my base period started in 10/2007 because I was laid off in February - - so I just miss being able to get my unemployment and my pension by 2 months. If I was laid off in April instead of February I would have been able to get both.. -also_RA'd_in_2009-

Comment 07/08/09: >>> Did anyone that was RA'd this year work for this Indiana account?
I don't know anything about this account, but I'll almost guarantee you that they will start soliciting US employees to bail them out of the "red zone" to keep the contract. Just a temporary solution, mind you. -anonymous-

Comment 07/08/09: >>"The f****rs can shove their job up their arse."

Oh, now THAT'S good.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/07/ibm_final_salary_pension_killed/

No one on this planet is safe in this company.

>>Note: IBM executives, on the other hand, continue to pull in millions of dollars through free stock options:

http://www.ibmemployee.com/insiderTrading.shtml

I wonder what it will take to wake up the sheeple in this company? Is the UK unionized? -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: The UK is not unionized but they do have a Works Council as required by law.
We searched our comments and archived comments and couldn't find the quotes or links you included. Where did you find them?

Comment 07/07/09: To Lost It: I do not read anywhere in the article about Indiana that any jobs were offshored. You won't be credible if you attack without facts. In fact, you hurt the cause you support. -anonymous-

Comment 07/07/09: It's really distressing to read these comments and see so many people that are so gullible, naive, or just plain ignorant as to believe that Barack Obama actually gives a rip (or "needs to know") about their job plight, as if he were still some sort of community activist. He got what he wanted (the presidency), and now you're all on your own... get used to the idea: You can trust Obama as much as you can trust his pal Sam Palmisanno. So quit praying to the Obamessiah, wake up, and get a clue that the only person with YOUR best interests in mind is YOU!! -Remorseful ObamaVoter-

Comment 07/07/09: Although I sympathise with any layoff's, getting rid of ass-kissing Team Lead types who do nothing but talk , delegate, taking credit for others and no work (ie, perfect IBM Managers in the making) might be a good idea. We have a team of 12 and we have 3 team leads!!! one because he is good technically but has no personal skills, an ass-kissing one for secretarial duties and policing the team(average technical skills) and one more because he fills a diversity quota. That said, not all team leads ass-kiss and do nothing but talking, some actually do contribute and have talent - And in true and predicable IBM management style, I bet they're the ones to be RA'd -Noamigoofsam-

Comment 07/07/09: Did anyone that was RA'd this year work for this Indiana account? Maybe the Alliance could spread the word that this is what happens when IBM ships it's contracts overseas.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AP-Exclusive-IBM-on-notice-apf-2276728417.html?x=0&.v=2 -Lost It-

Comment 07/07/09: Outsourcing interrupts employment before a skill is fully developed, and layoffs undermine dedication to a single occupation. “People are told they can’t get back to work unless they retrain for a new skill,” he said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/business/24jobs.html?_r=1 -Anonymous-

Comment 07/07/09: "comment from AMAZED 7/05/09 ..Customers are being impacted by the decrease in support quality using offshoring and/or simply cutting staff with no backfill.."
I was RA'd in march when they let go many skilled people and kept most inexperienced jr and newhires around. a few weeks later they
couldn't fill customer accounts with the right skills so they had the bench JR people take self study crash courses on required skills and
tried to fill the spots. That's how projects get in trouble. Now they say they have to bring in contractors (from India no doubt) to help fill the spots ..they cannot bring back RA'd people even though they are still around waiting for their last day. It was orders from upper management that RA'd employees not be given a chance at those internal jobs. It's so immoral of Sam and his team to waste
everyone's time by telling RA'd employees they can look for internal jobs. IBM is no longer the company we know, the company we were all so proud of to be a part of. The company now has no moral values left. It's all about filling up Sam's pockets before he leaves IBM in 2011. He doesn't care what happens to IBM after that. These people are not executives..they are all crooks. They are investing
overseas. Government should put a stop to this, especially if they go after government funds from Amerciacn tax payers money. Let them raise their money in India or China. They can save a bundle of money if they moved the IBM headquarter to India. Should send Sam there and pay him in RUPEES. --Anonymous-

Comment 07/07/09: >Amazing how easy it is to herd sheeple once you have them terrified. -Exodus2007-
So true, so true. I'm sure what is left of my former department is working extra extra extra hard, thanks to being browbeaten and threatened by the 'team leaders' (who didn't foster team and who didn't lead)and 'managers' (who didn't manage), and having to account for the underskilled offshore replacements that didn't have a clue. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/07/09: Management and their good buddys Teamleads do not " Let things slip". They float rumors and innuendo's to see what employee reaction will be. Bet everyone in the department has tightened the belt even tighter, Buckled down even harder, told the family "one year we can actually do a vacation but for now I have to work longer and harder to impress my boss and keep my job". Summer productivity booms with just the whispering of a fall R.A. The managers and team leads look like heros as their teams out produce others and claim no overtime and IBM executives get bigger bonus checks for the quarter. Amazing how easy it is to herd sheeple once you have them terrified. -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: The only good that could come of it, would be a massive sign-up for Alliance@IBM; until a number of workers, able to speak out as a committee, took further steps to organize the whole division. I know, I know... but there is hope, and IBM did give an unofficial warning!

Comment 07/07/09: Not sure how infested GBS is. Instead of assigning IBM employees/consultants to the Projects, non-IBM employees/contractors are hired to do the job. And when it comes to justifications, you can always find some not to recruit internally within IBM. The truth is that most of the Project Managers/Leads (especially Indians) have consulting companies in which they have vested interests (99.9% cases indirectly own them eg. in their wife's name) and needless to say the monetary benefits derived from it. And most of the times as has been said in the earlier comments that there are these 23-25 yrs old consultants fresh out of college (who are hired on H1B visa by these Indian consulting companies..controlled by IBM Managers) maybe smart but unexperienced, work on these projects and screw them royally. No wonder we have so many contractors on IBM Projects who work long hours because they are paid on an hourly basis but efficiency is questionable and we IBMers do all the work but bill only for 40. I have seen so many of my colleagues who were knowledgeable, experienced being laid off *resource actioned* because of someone else's greed, I feel awful. -Anonymous Whistle Blower-

Comment 07/06/09: IBM and Corporate Responsibility. LOL. These two do not belong in the same sentence. Time to put on my boots. -boot-up_to_avoid_the_BS-

Comment 07/06/09: Our union dues at work:
Alliance@IBM asks politicians to stop giving IBM public money, by George Spohr, Times Herald-Record
ENDICOTT — Union-backed Alliance@IBM on Monday called on political leaders to deny IBM public money, tax breaks and incentives “until they cease the offshore of jobs and the use of foreign staff on U.S. accounts."
The employee group, which has had little success in bolstering its recruitment numbers despite waves of massive layoffs at IBM’s American assets, detailed multiple instances when the company has won U.S. contracts and staffed that work using employees from IBM India. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090706/BIZ/90706033/-1/NEWS Thanks! -Gorya-

Comment 07/06/09: It is not surprising that IBM is not done with their shedding of US employees. After all, what has been done to stop them? What influence does anyone have that might be strong enough to make a difference? The executives are in charge and they have their own agenda. Sure, it may leave behind a smoking hole where once stood the company that you poured your blood, sweat, skills and knowledge into... but be sure that they have taken care of themselves. They won't have anything to worry about in the future. Do you think that they'll throw you a bone when it's all said and done? -MuffinMan-

Comment 07/06/09: Just heard from a former Teamleader. He said his manager let it slip in a meeting with all department Teamleads that ITD SSO will be partcipating in a September RA. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/06/09: IBM Issues Corporate Responsibility Report ARMONK, N.Y., July 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- IBM issued its Corporate Responsibility Report, detailing the company's social performance results and strategies in the areas of governance, supply chain, environment, community engagements, EMPLOYMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES, and public policy. The 40-page report features IBM's Corporate Service Corps on its cover, a program IBM characterizes as a corporate version of the Peace Corps, to develop a next wave of IBM leaders while addressing critical societal challenges in emerging markets in innovative ways. The report demonstrates how fully integrating business and social strategies can make significant and lasting impacts in communities. Another program described is IBM's work in the Sichuan province in China, the area stricken by a powerful earthquake last year where teams of IBMers engaged in the relief and recovery effort using their technology skills. The report with more details on all topics is available online at: http://www.ibm.com/responsibility/. -Wuz_an_IBMer_in_2001-

Comment 07/05/09: "Comment 07/03/09: Heard from IBMers used to work with that business in the US is terrible. Expenses are frozen and they are expecting 2nd quarter numbers to be terrible. This person said they are begging for work and no one is buying IBM. This might be the beginning of the end for IBM. -Anon-"
No surprise. Customers are being impacted by the decrease in support quality using offshoring and/or simply cutting staff with no backfill. I saw this first-hand on the last two sinking-ship accounts I worked on before I quit IBM. Customers were outraged... IBM management attitude was along the lines of "it's cheaper to pay SLA penalties then decrease profit margin using correct resource and skills allocation". But there are lots of chump customers out there who will still believe the b.s. slung by IBM sales teams. -Amazed-

Comment 07/05/09: Hi Alliance, thanks for the update re TAA. Can you share which other locations / sites are being pursued? I was RA'ed in January, and because my reporting location was a mobility center, I am not able to discern who else was 'RA'ed'. (Simply put, I didn't work with anyone in my geographic area, let alone my site.) I did NOT work from home. I DO know that IBM sent an HR specialist to my site in order to conduct the exit interviews, and she told me that there were others at my site. (I didn't ask who; nor could she have shared names, I'm sure, for privacy reasons). With THAT said, *to me*, the offer of Project Match seems to support the notion that my job was affected by IBM trade practices. HOWEVER, I am not aware of a specific person who took on my specific job role offshore. SO, not certain I have any way to demonstrate a trade impact...though I believe it does exist at the macro level. -Another question re TAA-

Comment 07/05/09: "Heard from IBMers used to work with that business in the US is terrible. Expenses are frozen and they are expecting 2nd quarter numbers to be terrible. This person said they are begging for work and no one is buying IBM. This might be the beginning of the end for IBM. -Anon-"
Palmisano and his hench men will kill this company sooner or later not to worry. There is no R&D anymore, they rely on stock buybacks and acquisitions. Only thing that matters is getting to the 10-11 EPS by 2010. If the lack of R&d doesn't kill this company off, the AGR (Accounting & Governance Risk) eventually will, it will eventually catch up to this senior management team who lacks the vision and strategy to truly run a company like IBM. -EPS_11-

Comment 07/05/09: Is there any new news about IBMers filing claims for TAA benefits? I know one group was denied before the changes went into effect. I'd like to know if any successful claims have been submitted, and if there are any tricks to submitting a successful claim. -Anon-
Alliance reply: The Alliance has been working with the State of Connecticut on a TAA claim. It has been filed. Other locations in the works. Will update as information becomes available.

Comment 07/03/09: Heard from IBMers used to work with that business in the US is terrible. Expenses are frozen and they are expecting 2nd quarter numbers to be terrible. This person said they are begging for work and no one is buying IBM. This might be the beginning of the end for IBM. -Anon-

Comment 07/02/09: >Any Questions? -baba-
Nope. Too bad he's dead and so are the minds of those who don't believe every word he says. Trouble is, this is the best there is and those with the money who rape the sheeple in this country know it. Bend over and bless America. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/03/09: To "kin of pop fan"... George Carlin said it best. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYIC0eZYEtI&eurl=http://whatreallyhappened.com/&feature=player_embedded
Any Questions? -baba-

Comment 07/02/09: This 4th of July, it's time to stand up for American jobs and America's future. Write your representatives.
"From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee. Across the plains of Texas, From sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston, and New York to L.A. Well there's pride in every American heart, and its time we stand and say.
That I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA." Lee Greenwood. -Happy Birthday America-

Comment 07/02/09: I don't really see this as just a problem w/IBM. It's kind of more scary actually. IBM seems to be taking the lead in sending the US employees off the edge of a cliff. FIrst we are told IBM and companies like them can not find Americans to fill the high paying jobs. Now we are told if we would like to keep our job; IBM "Project Match" they will send us to India and pay us a lower salary. So I'm confused...on one hand we are not smart enough...and on the other hand they would like us to move to India so they can keep our skills. The way I see it the little guy has no choice but to start his own business. If you are employed, you better be happy for that, but you seriously need to start thinking about your own business. Period. -KingOfPopFan-

Comment 07/02/09: > When RAed, the proper term is "Laid Off".
-UI Correction-, you are quite correct, when it comes to UI. I became heated because of the mentality some of the poor sheeple have in believing the lies forced upon them by management. IBM did NOT 'lay us off' or 'resource action' us or 'retire' us. They FIRED us.

>Do not tell Unemployment Claims that you were "Fired".
Good advice. Never get emotional with the UI office. It would not compute.

>TAA benefits are available for 'Offshored' victims but I don't know anyone who has successfully petitioned for that. And IBM of course will not admit you were offshored.
That's too bad. I'm surprised there isn't an enterprising lawyer out there who would go forward on this for all of us who were forced to train our offshore replacements via threats and intimidation in the last two months of our decades long careers.-anonymouse-

Comment 07/02/09: Here is discrimination for you - why are the retiree health plans so much more expensive - double - than the health plans available to IBM employees? This is comparing COBRA premiums (when the employee pays the full premium) to the FHA retiree plans. -anonymous-

Comment 07/02/09: I'm not buying anything that isn't made in America anymore. I've had it! What are other countries buying of ours to keep us working? I keep hearing on news shows "go out and spend to help the economy". Consume - don't save. You gotta be kidding me! Yeah, lets all go out and blow whatever we have to help companies that have outsourced American jobs so the filthy rich at the top can get richer. Where's the outrage! The whole country has become sheep. Can we get together and get this union going? We helped build IBM but a reasonable amout of profit wasn't good enough for the big wigs. People are in the streets protesting in Iran - and we remain silent. We gotta start doing something - at this alarming rate of job loss it's only a short matter of time before it's our turn. -Middle class dying-

Comment 07/02/09: To anonymouse, slight correction. Do not tell Unemployment Claims that you were "Fired". That is grounds for refusing the claim. When RAed, the proper term is "Laid Off". You can say your job was Outsourced because it wasn't really Lack of Work, there's no place on their form for that. TAA benefits are available for 'Offshored' victims but I don't know anyone who has successfully petitioned for that. And IBM of course will not admit you were offshored -UI Correction-

Comment 07/02/09: To "Also RAed in 2009", regarding collecting unemployment (UI) in CT and why the 'prior pension' plan should not affect the UI benefit amount. In short, IBM did not contribute to the plan during your UI base period (past 15 months). So your UI benefit is NOT reduced by the pension amount. -RAed in 2009-

Comment 07/02/09: I was RA'd in Feb 2009 and NY and my pension (started 3/1/09) is NOT offsetting my unemployment. I applied for it in April 2009 since that would be 5Q and not March as it would be less than 5Q. I explained what we told to each agent and they had to ask their supervisor each time to verify the 5Q rules were true. So the 1st line agents may not be fully aware. -anon-

Comment 07/01/09: What's been lost is not the "effectiveness of the opinion survey" but the commitment of executives to "respect for the individual" and the idea that what IBM sells is customer satisfaction, not stock price appreciation. The Watson's (among others) understood that the last (stock price appreciation) followed from the next to last (customer satisfaction) which followed from the first: respect for the individual. Somewhere along the way the current executive cadre lost that insight. And it is too bad for IBM's customers, IBM's employees and (if not reversed) IBM itself. But what do I know? I'm just a retread physicist, PhD but no MBA. -old-fat-slow-

Comment 07/01/09: Zion, for oncall simply do this: when you are called out of hours, take your time driving into the nearest office to log on. Then charge travel expenses ontop of your O.T... -DM-

Comment 07/01/09: To: "You can rent a small apartment while waiting to sell your house or return home on weekends."
I'm 47 years old and have been working for over 25 years. You can take your "small apartment" and stick it where the sun don't shine! At least it's small, it shouldn't hurt that much! I'm established in the community I choose to reside in and I'll find something around here that makes me happy. A small apartment? C'mon man! -Grayhair-

Comment 07/01/09: I was RA's in late April, I am understanding that the severance package that they are offering now max's out at 13 weeks instead of the 26. Is this true? -RA in 2009-

Comment 07/01/09: "...main item that comes to mind is the lost of the effectiveness of the employee opinion survey.."
IBM doesn't care about what employees think. For that matter I really doubt the survey is an anonymous collected sample. What you think based on the survey is just used as a sounding board that they do with what they please and possibly against the survey taker. I think IBM knows who they are sending the survey to and who responses to it. They could put out loads of surveys and the results remain the sam. IBM HR doesn't THINK. They just react. They follow what Sam and Randy tell them. The old surveys had an action plan(s) to address the issues that employees felt needed to be addressed. Ever see any positive result or action plan to an employee survey? All surveys are a waste and a joke at IBM. PERIOD. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/01/09: Folks. Please remember that some mundane law will not keep you from getting fired. It may allow you to get rehired after a long and costly legal battle to get back a job with a company who does not want you. Stop looking for someone to protect you. Protect yourself. The irony is that no one has a more enlightened self interest in saving your job then you do yet most of you do less to protect your jobs and well being then you do to protect your cars. Most of you at least put in floor mats to keep the mud off the carpets. Unionize and stop being managements floormat. -Exodus2007-

Comment 07/01/09: Also RAed in 2009 - I live in New York. I was RA'ed in late April. I was incorrectly told by NYS Dept of Labor that UI payments would be offset my pension. It's complicated but in NY, if you were RA'ed after 3/31/09, collecting an IBM pension DOES NOT offset UI. I dont know anything about the laws of Ct with regard to collecting UI and an IBM pension. I'd recommend you check out the IBMEMPLOYEEISSUESGroup on Yahoo! That's where I learned I could collect my IBM pension and get UI too. I've learned the hard way that I cant depend upon NYS DoL to provide me with accurate info. -NY RA'ed in 2009-

Comment 07/01/09: LOL, the employee opinion survey was always BS. If a first line manager got hammered in the survey they would make them second line. Saw that happen twice. They stopped taking the survey because most employees now hate their first line and rightfully so since 98% are scum. They only decent ones left are long timers hoping to hang on long enough to make retirement, and they're living in fear of being RA'ed themselves. >Adapt and get on with life. That's probably the same thing you would have told the slaves in the Old South. -anon-

Comment 07/01/09: To Anoymouse: you can look at this as IBM has leverage and a club against you, but if you spin the perspective, YOU have just as much power because YOU can decide to leave at any time, and while you are an at-will employee, they are at-YOUR-will Employers. If you don't like what they're feeding you, just like taking your medicine - eat it till you get better (find another gig) and then tell them where they can go. In the meantime, you're not sick and looking for something that tastes better. It's all in the perspective. Also, it too is perspective when I say that you are in the driver's seat. YOU can leave at any time just like they can cell you to go. But, if you have nothing waiting for you, you are stuck with IBM. By looking for a new job while you still have one, you are under no time pressure for money and you can decide what (outside) to take or to ignore, because you don't have to sell yourself short just to pay bills. THAT is where you are in the driver's seat. You can wait for your pitch and not swing at the bad ones (just to add yet another metaphor to the mix ;-) -RAed in Jan-

Comment 07/01/09: >> the employee opinion survey. What a joke that was. No one I knew told the truth, out of fear of recrimination. Yes, they could track down the submitter, make no mistake. Yes, I do remember when it was effective, when it was taken seriously. For the last two years, however, with sadists in management, there was no need for a real opinion survey, since the first level was aided and abetted in their Machiavellian ways by upper management. Problem solved. Management has nothing to fear anymore, the sadists have the employees exactly where they want them -- fearful, in desperate need of a salary, and fearful, willing to act as mushrooms. You may be correct, the Black Thursday 5K and the previous 4600 may have been the last ones to get a package. Amen, the ONLY recourse is to unionize. Hopefully, it is not too late. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -Anonymouse-

Comment 07/01/09: As I read the comments, it's clear that things are getting worse for IBM employees. As I think about how we got here, the main item that comes to mind is the lost of the effectiveness of the employee opinion survey. When we had the annual survey, management literally feared us. If we got a bad manager, in 1 or 2 bad surveys, they were gone. They have no fear anymore. They would fear us if we unionized. Then we would have leverage, we have nothing today. BTW, for those hanging on to get a "package", carefully read the recent comments, that is about to become history. Another benefit gone, no cushion to help you once you are laid off. We must unionize to protect what little we have left and hopefully get some back!!!! -Anonymous-

Comment 07/01/09: To the person who said "We all received an email more than once that said your job description included 100% travel" If you job moves to a new location it is not conciered travel, it was they would pay your lodging and meals, and trips for you to go home at certain intervals. -James-

Comment 07/01/09: IBM Canada pull the plug on Internet expenses for mobile employees as of June 15 2009, IBM suggested if anyone is affected by this should return to an IBM office or mobility center, paying $60.00 a month is not a problem for my own internet, the issue is, should I use it for work. Kinda leaning to no more emails after hours and weekends... Also, rumors that mobile employees cell phone expenses will be cut soon and may have to pay for their own Thinkpads in the future... -Zion-

Comment 07/01/09: -Also RAed in 2009-, check out the RAed2009 board and the employeeissues board.
Once the DOL understands YOU WERE FIRED, YOU DID NOT RETIRE, they will process correctly. Keep repeating to yourself and them: YOU WERE NOT RESOURCE ACTIONED, WHICH MEANS NOTHING IN ACTUAL GRAMMAR, YOU WERE FIRED. YOU DID NOT RETIRE, YOU WERE FIRED. Fired, fired, fired, the sadists took advantage of the economy and fired 10K people since January. Keep at it, you too will get your UI. Remember, you were fired. Ignore the HH letter from Sam the Sham, you did NOT retire, you were fired.
>Adapt and get on with life. -anonymous-
Corporate apologist, are we? Nice try, but this is forced moving with no guarantee, with every expectation of being FIRED after moving, at the leisure of the sadists. Unlike the executives who would do no such thing without a contract -- you have a contract, corporate apologist? -- the sheeple will simply be moving somewhere else to be slaughtered later on. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/01/09: Some people would be very happy to be offered a job anywhere. So relocation is not an issue. If the pay and benefits are decent, many would take it. You can rent a small apartment while waiting to sell your house or return home on weekends. In today's world the people with the most problems will be those that do not adjust - who expect to keep a job, doing the same thing in the local area. Retraining and relocating is what many people are doing today. Adapt and get on with life. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: Adaptation to the idea, that the company controls your future within it; is simply resigning yourself to At Will Employment. No matter where you go to work; without an employment contract or a union contract, you must do what the company tells you to do, to keep your job. And even then, you may not keep your job....especially in IBM. Why? Because you are an At Will Employee and have no voice or choice in the matter. It's too bad that you have succumbed to that way of thinking. There is hope for you, if you decide that you will not 'stand down' any longer. Organize. Find out what it is like to be part of the collective bargaining process and stand up for your right to form a union.

Comment 07/01/09: IBM should have no problems by offering you a job that you must relocate to. There is no law I know of that says they have to offer you relocation assistance. You can take it or leave it (and lose your job). We all received an email more than once that said your job description included 100% travel. If you refused such a job offered to you, you were considered to have resigned (and get no severance and no unemployment I guess). I guess relocating yourself to a job is the same thing. -anonymous-

Comment 07/01/09: To "Was told that unless I want to move to Boulder or Toronto." Companies use location moves to shed employees, They know only a certain percentage are willing to move to a remote location only to get laid off a short time later. This happened to my group when I worked at another corporation. -Anonymous-

Comment 07/01/09: >>It is MUCH easier to hunt for a job when you have a job than when you don't.
True. However, this is just another club in the leverage IBM has over the employees. Never mind the 'lack of respect' for the individual in suddenly FORCING them to commute or be fired. Intimidate and rule by fear, it is the new set of IBM tenets.
> YOU are in the driver seat.
Disagree here. The employee is NEVER in the driver's seat. After sheepishly accepting the new position, the employee can still be fired Remember? AT WILL EMPLOYEE. UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 07/01/09: -anonymous- IBM can move your job anywhere. Repeat after me: at will employee = no say in where your job is. Your only legal protection that could stop this action by IBM is a union contract. -moveatwill-

Comment 06/30/09: to RAed in 2009. I also live in CT and was told that once I start collecting my pension my unemployment checks will stop. Are you getting your pension and continuing with unemployment? Can you advise me on how I can do this. Thanks in advance. -Also RAed in 2009-

Comment 06/30/09: Was a June RA, decade with IBM, never a low PBC rating. ITD org, Americas. 30 days to find a new position, to reaffirm for anyone new to this, is a joke. Honestly, the hardest part is making this clear to co-workers who think there's a possibility you'll still be a colleague in the future. -surgicallyremoved-

Comment 06/30/09: Another little bit of advice for those of you who may have to undergo hardship in an ugly commute or position to stay with IBM - especially if you have a small to no severance package... It is MUCH easier to hunt for a job when you have a job than when you don't. You're not wanting for a bill-paying paycheck, you have benefits, whatever they might still be, and YOU are in the driver seat. You can take or turn down interviews and offers, because you're not draining your savings to live. Sure, it might hurt to do the job, but remember, that gives you way more leverage than if you're unemployed. -RAed in Jan-

Comment 06/30/09: This Finance thing from the Post... Does it strike anyone as strange that the Finance comment is that only IBM knows how to work these systems, implying they're a bit, well, old? Sure, I'm sure that's the case. And a 25 year old from Mumbai has experience in these systems HOW???? IBM has laid off everyone who might have been able to do the work. They are hiring IBM because it was IBM who did it before. Not because of the experience. Just some other lackey covering his keester. -RAed in Jan-

Comment 06/30/09: Was told that unless I want to move to Boulder or Toronto that I was going to be laid off sometime real soon. Is that legal? They are not even offering to pay to move me, not that it's an option I would even consider. -anonymous-

Comment 06/30/09: Have heard of two cases of 'surgical' layoffs in Midwestern area this week. Both were senior sales reps, 30+ years of service, excellent performers. Interesting were not initially offered the max 6 month severance, as in past layoffs. Were told IBM did not have to give any severance, and that it was negotiable..they were given the 30 days to find another job BS. -BigBlues-

Comment 06/30/09: If you are working on a Govt Stimulus project now or in the future, you should report here in a comment how many GRs and H1Bs are working on the project and how much the project costs. And name names, locations, project details, etc. The Stimulus package is meant to help US workers, paid for by US taxpayer money. It was not designed to line the pockets of Greedy Sammy and his executive gangsters by offshoring the work. The press seems to monitor this forum. Maybe it will bring attention to the looting. -RA lottery winner 2009-

Comment 06/30/09: -Jokes-On-Us- your so right! The IBM employee purchase plan (EPP) is a joke. IBM is only pushing the models for Lenovo no less that are not selling or are need to pushed off the inventory to make more room. If IBM can take more of your money this way then they will. But since most IBMers are fools (how many complain, do nothing, and will not join the Alliance still?), IBM feels the EPP is a benefit. -no_bargain-
Alliance reply: Please move this discussion to General Visitor Comments.

Comment 06/29/09: >http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282009/news/regionalnews/nyc_hit_by_nerd_job_rob_176570.htm
>......an example of how IBM uses goverment money to help -anonymous-
Interesting that one of the H1-Bs hired by IBM is only 25, so a couple years out of college and he's considered a "consultant." I thought consultants are supposed to have years of experience and deep subject knowledge? Proves again IBM is hiring rookies and probably misleading their customers. I wonder, too how many extra hours these "consultants" need to work because of their lack of experience, which means more hours billed to the customer. State of Texas stipulated that IBM had to employ a certain number of state residents in order to get the contract. Yet IBM signed, which means they still anticipated making money on the deal. -Tek Nerd-

Comment 06/29/09: notified today by management that my last day is July 27th. 9 years working in Toronto -anonnymous-

Comment 06/29/09: Sorry, -Jokes-On-Us-, I should have put 'benefits' in quotes. I was being sarcastic. I wouldn't buy a Lenovo if it was the last computer on earth. -Jokes-On-Us-, wait until you get the retirement 'gift' catalog -- a bigger bunch of junk you've never seen. All of the above just continues to confirm what IBM thinks of its employees and retirees, i.e., disposable 'resources'. -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Please move this discussion to General Visitor Comments.

Comment 06/29/09: To anonymouse, Do you call those benefits? I call that nothing more than a glorified coupon book. I also find the discounted computers through the employee purchase program a joke as well. Anyone with the slightest bit of technical knowledge can find a much better buy than what is offered through the employee purchase program. -Jokes-On-Us-

Comment 06/29/09: How to get the word to Obama (and Lou Dobbs etc.) "Most of the contract workes at Federal/State govt. sites are H1-B visa holders". How Govt. can ask commercial organizations stop this practice in this situation? -Anonymous-

Comment 06/29/09: >>Interesting story on H-1B fight: "He says that the law as currently written allows H-1B visa holders to receive below-market wages. The policy also allows for age discrimination as older U.S. tech workers are displaced by a younger workforce from abroad."
But of course. It's been going on for years now. My job went to an offshore who is probably making a pittance. I've spoken to some offshored people who made spit and had to live away from home during the week. BUT, they are desperately glad to have the work. The pennies that IBM pays them is a fortune in their countries. So? What are the sheeple going to do about it? What can they do, when IBM owns the government? -anonymouse-

Comment 06/29/09: Interesting story on H-1B fight:
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db20090626_585028.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech -just another drone-

Comment 06/28/09: The NY Post is outraged that IBM, which won a $1.9 million contract with the Department of Finance, has brought over consultants from India, instead of hiring local nerds. http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282009/news/regionalnews/nyc_hit_by_nerd_job_rob_176570.htm -Mac-

Comment 06/28/09: http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282009/news/regionalnews/nyc_hit_by_nerd_job_rob_176570.htm
......an example of how IBM uses goverment money to help -anonymous-

Comment 06/28/09: >>The Alliance is doing its part by partnering with Washtech and Techsunite to organize in the IT industry.
Good for you. If the employees in other IT companies aren't sheeple, and accomplish a union, that will bring more pressue to bear on the sadists. Incidentally, if anyone is wondering what benefits our benefactor has put in place for us, the 'firees' (perhaps they should begin using that term, in place of 'retiree'?), see here: http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/us/benefits/afteribm/ -anonymouse-

Comment 06/27/09: As for the light number of layoffs now, recall after 1st Q when IBM held the teleconference with Wall Street, IBM said that most of the layoffs were completed in the beginning of the year. They did it up front and there will be few at this point. -anonymous-

Comment 06/27/09: I've been thinking about the unionization of IBM. I think that perhaps the REAL problem is industry-wide. While this is (of course), an IBM issue, It is also an industry wide problem. The entire industry needs representation. Nurses, teachers, etc all have
representation. The computer industry needs this too. IBM workers are not the only ones getting the short end of the stick. EDS/Dell/HP
- All the Outsourcing companies are doing the same thing to their workers. -Just-a-thought-
Alliance reply: You are absolutely right. The Alliance is doing its part by partnering with Washtech and Techsunite to organize in the IT industry. Look for future announcements on this.

Comment 06/26/09: More cuts are coming in ITD, managers are very quickly collecting names for the RA. No word on numbers. -Frank-

Comment 06/26/09: To those who are thinking there won't be any June layoffs. Its not the end of the month yet. There are a few more days. Even so, don't look for the large numbers of layoffs as in past few rounds. IBM is pretty much done with the big cuts. You'll see more of a trickling effect now. Smaller, less obvious numbers. The large cuts will begin again once the GR ramps up once in the fall. Mgmt is having problems staffing with the proper skills (and from the looks of the folks they've already taken on-board, they're not picky choosing people with ANY sort of skill). -miss understanding-

Comment 06/26/09: Cuts are coming in July, not June. More surgical this time, not across the board. -deep south-

Comment 06/26/09: June layoffs were "stealth" permanent layoffs. A few hundred, not thousands. Not as big as the previous RA wave. Who knows if IBM cut projected RA's for June based on bad publicity or the actions of the Alliance to bring it to the attention of the media. If it is either of these then it is a moral victory, for now, achieved. We still have to remain vigilent. IBM will continue to get rid of employees. The question is: when? -anonymous-

Comment 06/26/09: >>I don't believe for a second, that IBM could ever make this board look bad.
Hah! Not a chance. They're just trying to lull the employees into fearful complacency once again, the sadists, and then will fire them, at will.
This board is a beacon among the lies of IBM and something they don't want employees to read. Notice how the management plants are shut down almost immediately? The truth WILL out, even if the employees don't have the courage to unionize. BTW, the DOL 'redetermined' my Unemployment benefit and approved it this time around. Thank you to those here and on the RA board. -RA'ed already-, try, try again. It was actually worth it. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/26/09: Before you assume the information about June layoffs was wrong, please remember that Alliance and others took many effective actions in response to the rumors. Your voices are influencing the decision makers in the company and I thank each of you for your efforts. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/26/09: IBM Consulting essentially absent from rankings. No surprise. As a 15yr Con RA'd, we were driven to follow increasingly stupid internally-focused methods, totally overengineered complex pitches, and "POV's" which left client's rolling eyes. But as long as management ticked off boxes showing compliance with acronym soup of "initiatives" (CVI, SSM, Harmony, CBM, ...), life was good. Just make sure you're following the buyer behaviors someone dreamed up or hundreds of skills on the hook to get assessed for the most complexly confusing portfolio in the world but without real education beyond endless webinars by staffers who didn't have experience or a clue. -GTS.SME.RA'd-

Comment 06/26/09: Looks like the previous rumors of a june 2009 layoff reported on this board were wrong. Was it just bad information or did IBM stop the layoffs to make this board look bad? -What'sup-
Alliance reply: Don't get too comfortable. IBM does what they want, regardless of what is posted on this board. Alliance@IBM gets the layoff information and rumors from IBMers, inside the company. Our predictions from that information have been and are accurate within the 90 percentile range, for years. That's why so many people watch this site. We've had over 2.5 million visitors since 2003. I don't believe for a second, that IBM could ever make this board look bad.

Comment 06/25/09: Mel B - it's the distance not the commute time that determines the decision. If I recall, and I'm not with IBM any more (RA'd in Mar) so you should check with HR, but if IBM moves your work location within a 50 mile radius you are expected to report to work at that location. Now, you should find out if it's 50 miles as the crow flies or as the roads go too. Sounds like you may need to do the commute thing, maybe you can carpool, and look for something else ASAP ! Anyway, HR will have the facts, make sure you document it in writing. You may want to search the intranet too. -nobody-

Comment 06/25/09: Seems the company may have paid heed to the bad publicity. Wasn't this week forecast as D-Day deux? Doesn't look like anything happened. -wondering-

Comment 06/25/09: For the poster who commented: They're SO focused on profit that they are bound to make a costly careless mistake that will kill the company. Who knows when, but I'm certain it will happen. -anonymous-
Dont worry - IBM's time will come sooner or later like the rest..their AGR Summary score is 13 out of 100 which ranks them in the 5th percentile of high risk companies....check it out here....I personally cannot wait to see that day. Cost cutting only gets you so far, if there is no R&D you will eventually fall.... here's the summary, enjoy and keep hope alive: http://www.auditintegrity.net/public/summary.ai?ticker=ibm -EPS AND SAM SITTING IN A TREE...-

Comment 06/25/09: To Mel B - All of my adult life I have had a big commute. You may be facing that for the first time, but those in the NY metro area and many, many other regions have to commute long drives or train rides. The 50-mile rule by IBM (drive to the work site if you live within 50 miles) is not all that bad. Granted you may be faced with debanding down the road or whatever. BUT YOU HAVE A JOB. -anonymous-

Comment 06/25/09: RE Unemployment insurance payments and 'pensions'... FIRST, YOUR experience is likely completely different from mine, and YOUR state may provide you better guidance - to the best of their ability - about YOUR state's policies. So this is just my experience, in my state. Here goes:
First, when I submitted a preliminary request for unemployment 'benefits', I stated that 'YES', I would be eligible for some kind of 'pension' IN THE FUTURE. In my case, this was the cash balance plan, and to call this a pension is to be polite - to avoid hurting the
plan's feelings. I NOW REGRET STATING THIS. I'm less than 50 years old; therefor I have no plan to draw on the so-called (cash balance) pension. Unfortunately, my state's unemployment professional wasn't familiar with the following terms...So I've withdrawn my request for
unemployment benefits and will re-apply, hoping to get a new rep, AND will send an educational document to my state. Here are the terms which were unfamiliar to my state Dept of Labor contact:
1. IRA
2. Roth IRA
3. 401K
4. Defined benefit plan
5. Defined contribution plan
6. Cash balance plan
7. Annuity
8. Lump sum
9. Conversion to IRA
I now have some hope that I can assist my state Department of Labor in understanding their jobs, going forward. Have other RA'ed folks had a similar experience? Sorry; I just would expect a state DoL employee to understand basic concepts related to employment, pensions, and unemployment. SECOND, a big shout-out to my ex-manager - Hi K! Thanks for the lies! -RA'ed already-

Comment 06/25/09: I had a meeting with my Manager today regarding relocation to a GDF site, which is outside of the city I currently reside in. I live within 50 miles of GDF location, however, my commute would involve a two hour drive (one way). This is if traffic is fairly light and no inclement weather conditions. I was told by my Manager that I have until August 6 to decline or accept. If I decline, I will be asked to voluntarily resign. In previous conversations with my Manager, I was told I would be asked to "involuntarily resign". My Manager has denied making any such statement and has changed her verbiage. At any rate, I have been told I will be asked to give a two week notice and walk away with no severance if I decline IBM's offer to relocate to a new GDF site. Just an FYI to those who may be in same circumstance. -Mel B.-

Comment 06/25/09: In response to the exec's stock options post - and certainly not defending IBM in any manner, but - come on, this is investing 101. If you had a boatload of cash in stock options from a single stock (IBM), and it's vested, you cash it in and move that money to a more diverse investment plan. Keeping hundreds of thousands (millions?) in a single stock is....careless by any means. Yes, it sucks that these guys are raking it in at our expense, but keep in mind, the majority of them are not walking away with a check from these sales - they're re-investing it somewhere else. Any investment planner will tell you diversity is the key. The exercising of stock options by executives is par for the course for any major company, it's not unique to IBM. Like I said, I'm not defending IBM, but the whole stock options thing is just a part of any (most?) fortune 500 company. IBM flat out sucks as a company. They're SO focused on profit that they are bound to make a costly careless mistake that will kill the company. Who knows when, but I'm certain it will happen. -anonymous-

Comment 06/25/09: Good tool for analysis of insider trading. http://www.form4oracle.com/company?id=586&period=Year -anon-

Comment 06/25/09: Here is a warning notice on the NY Labor Dept website about East Fishkill layoffs..... http://www.labor.state.ny.us/app/warn/de... http://www.labor.state.ny.us/app/WARN/de... http://www.labor.state.ny.us/app/WARN/de... -STILL WORKING-
Alliance reply: None of your links work. Repost them. Incidentally, Someone posted this link May 12th:
http://www.labor.state.ny.us/app/warn/details.asp?id=2149

Comment 06/25/09: To -Sleepless_in_Seattle-, My personal *opinion*, as I'm not an attorney and did not work in services/consulting:
Do NOT delay filing for / claiming anything which you believe you are or may be entitled to. There may be time limits for submission of claims/Totals. I recall there were time limits on submissions of TRAVEL expense accounts, for example. And, once you sign an RA agreement/release, I *believe* that you lose a lot of leverage. (Or you may lose all leverage.) Good luck to you, and I hope you have a great job lined up, whether you are either RA'ed or choose to move on to something new!
Also, so as to NOT give you bad advice, I'll again say that I'm not familiar with your specific situation...
And you may want to be judicious in how you pursue any claims for back pay. Perhaps the lawsuit already addressed this issue for years
prior to 2008, in which case it might be a waste of time & effort (and possibly mgt goodwill) to claim prior years' pay? Ah well - I should keep my opinions to myself, as I can see two sides to this issue and wouldn't want to recommend some action that would 'shoot you in the foot'! : ) Again, good luck to you! -RA'ed already-

Comment 06/25/09: Good article: http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/spec/CE96C5C608138FABCC25747000784BD0
Bright people with AS used to be able to succeed in IBM and contribute much to the company back in the 70s and earlier. Not with today's IBM management, though. Now it's all about appearances. -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 06/25/09: Thanks for posting the link to the exec stock option exercise. Based on a random sample of 5 transactions:
It's interesting that when several execs each acquire thousands of shares at $0 (!), they only sell between 42% and 48% of that number of
shares, that same day. Thus, they maintain their 'stake' in IBM. (Right.) And what's with the exec who exercised an option for OVER $100 per share, and sold at less than $5 per share more that same day? Must really need the money. I'm being a bit sarcastic, of course - this is no laughing matter. -Exec options-

Comment 06/25/09: To RA'd 2009 in CT. Each state is different. NJ has a sliding scale of reduction of unemployment money if there is monthly income from pension and what portion are your contributions. The weekly form you fill out simply asks then if you have any monthly income from pension or other source with some questions about it. It sounds like there is an interview for those affected to determine any money reduction or not. -anonymous-

Comment 06/25/09: Is it mind boggleing that someone is getting rich from employees labors at IBM?? Or that someone is actually buying the stock they are dumping, er selling. IBM is buying back its own executives stock because few people want it in the quantities the executives want to sell. Thats why the Company has huge yearly buybacks. It allows the execs to make a killing while spending cash that can no longer be used to give raises because its used to repurchase stock. The execs always vote to do this every year for some reason. That someone gets rich from your labors is nothing unusual. The Watsons did. They just understood they could not eat the cash cow a piece at a time and expect it to live. That they had to allow employees to prosper also so they would work harder and feel better about it. The Watsons true genius was they hired geniuses and paid them well enough to keep them and treated them well enough for them to be loyal. Sadly a lesson lost on the current executives. So we must treat ourselves well and organize to ensure we are paid well. -Exodus2007-

Comment 06/25/09: -Idn2012- we need to spread the word about this website to the Atlanta folks. I was directed here by one of my teammates from MN after we were RA'd in January. Both of us got pbc's of 3 but were solid performers according to the people we supported. We were Div 1N CHQ-Marketing. From what I understand Marketing was hit hard in each of the RA's this year. Atlanta in particular has been hit hard as well. The Atlanta ibm.com center once employed close to 1000 and now is down around 300 people. -SLV-
Alliance Question: Since one of your teammates pointed you to Alliance@IBM AFTER you were RA'd; Do you think finding out about this web site should happen BEFORE IBMers get RA'd?
If you do, Please tell your former teammates, and tell them to tell others in your former function to visit this web site and consider joining and forming a union in their respective function or area.
I'd also like to know: Do you use Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook? Do you know if your former co-workers use any or all of those social networking sites? Please Contact Us with your information and answers.

Comment 06/25/09: this is absolutely mind boggling http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=IBM -annonymous-

Comment 06/25/09: To anonymous- No, collecting pension from the "prior plan" should NOT reduce your unemployment (UI) benefit amount. That plan was frozen on 12/31/07 (no more IBM contributions were made) which was before your UI base period. You may have to contact the UI Pension department to explain that the plan was frozen before your base period. I am in CT and my UI benefit was not reduced due to pension although I did have to contest their first determinination. There has been lots of discussion regarding this on the RA forum. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RAed2009/message/929 -RAed 2009-

Comment 06/25/09: To 3 resumes out there: You better put out a lot more than that. I had 230 resumes out there before I got hired. It's not that easy to find another job. They are out there but unless you are something amazing plan on sending out a lot more. I hear what you're saying and I would not work for ibm again either. A union would stop the carnage that is going on but I think most of the talent is gone by now. The few hanging on don't yet have the courage to move forward and leave, but eventually they will be forced to leave. -3_resumes-

Comment 06/25/09: Where are you, -Sue-? Depending on how the genius in the NYS DOL rules, I may or may not get UI. I had to ask for a redetermination after initially getting turned down. From what those here and elsewhere have said, we are NOT retired (I know I didn't CHOOSE to retire, irregardless of the 'congratulations on your retirement' letter from Sam the Sham), we were FORCED to retire, we were FIRED, the pension SHOULD have NO effect on the UI benefit, and therefore we SHOULD get UI. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR GET SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/25/09: Does anyone know if IBM can be held accountable for past unpaid standby pay? I have been an hourly employee for the past few years who worked standby, and was never paid for it. In March of 2008 when all the business went down about the Rosenberg suit where some salaried people were forced to take a pay cut and transition to hourly, my manager told me that I was eligible for standby pay and I should start etotaling it. In fact he told me to go back and etotal it to the beginning ig of 2008. Now understanding that I have been classified as an hourly employee since joining IBM, would I be able to go after IBM for my past standby pay? Not sure if I should let this wait and use it if I ever get RA'd? If I am RA'd and sign severence paperwork, will that release IBM from obligation to honor my past standby pay? Thanks for any advice that can be rendered, -Sleepless_in_Seattle-

Comment 06/24/09: In the EFK GDF on the mainframe side there has been very little turn over since that started back in February My SLM said the goal is to have all accounts either in a GDF or GR -Bill-

Comment 06/24/09: Want to hear something good, in the new job as a Asst Director working at a company that is #14 in the US and just happily added up the cost counts and told the CTIO/CIO that getting rid of Tivoli and going with HP Openview instead, hey IBM - kiss $ 11+m BYE BYE and my job has a ton less headaches, not to mention getting rid of some IBM H1B FTE's who were over here from Bangalore! See what happens when people who know your product are able to give the clients the REAL advice????
Hope this inspires others out there to really tell what IBM product lines have become instead of a PR hack. -IBM UC'd-

Comment 06/24/09: I'm not sure what is going on with the EFK GDF. I never see any job postings for that location. Have any of you ever been there? Its like a tomb. Horrid dark colors that are very depressing painted on cinder block walls. The folks walking around are like zombies in a fog. From what I am told there is a great deal of stress on the workers at that location. -dun-4-

Comment 06/24/09: They ARE having problems staffing Iowa. But it's because they want to pay the local talent $12.54 an hour. They're looking for students, or any others who have the skills. Since no one is available, they're going for the H1B Visa folks. As for Boulder, They are also having problems staffing. They are expecting next to none of the current employees to join. The target date for phase 2 (in Boulder) is early October. They have 1 M&L allotment, and apparently, they already have in mind who they will offer that to. What a bunch of bozos. Maybe there plan is to have everyone QUIT before the GDFs are up and running. It would definitely save on severance package $$. -caught-a-glimpse-

Comment 06/24/09: Sue, I bridged to retirement after an RA and am collecting unemployment in CT. -Forced into Retirement-

Comment 06/24/09: Sue, many of us in the RA's were bridged to retirement if within one year of 62 or whatever, or are otherwise retirement eligible. We signed two documents as we left IBM. We are as laid off as anyone and can collect unemployment. Each state is different - in the ones I know the lump sum severance does not reduce unemployment, but if you get monthly income by electing the pension or 401K now, that probably will reduce your unemployment. -anonymous-

Comment 06/24/09: Remember the beginning of the 2nd Gulf War? Remember that nitwit Iraqi military leader saying "The Americans are not coming to Baghdad. The Americans have not taken over Baghdad Airport." That's IBM Management, except they're saying "IBM is fine, your job is OK. IBM is not firing people.". Look at what's become of Iraq. Seriously, do you REALLY want to keep working at IBM? It's been said dozens of times here - it is NOT the IBM it used to be. It's time to leave. Companies are starting to hire. IBM can't even keep GDFs staffed. No local talent, and the existing talent in IBM is refusing to relocate (I honestly think IBM expected most existing employees to relocate). This is catching IBM off guard. Iowa was suppose to have opened and been live, I think, this month or next. Last I heard, they have next to nobody working there, and no accounts being support out of it. I'm hearing rumors about high turnover in EFK, too. And remember the posting a few weeks back showing band levels for GDF staffing? Just wait until THAT kicks in. Salary cuts for all. It's an absolute mess in IBM. All accounts sooner or later will be supported by a BRIC country, or managed out of a GDF. This is the goal of IBM right now. I think it's taking longer than the VPs anticipated, but they're still pushing forward. Just remember this. IBM WILL meet their EPS this year of 9.x/share at YOUR expense. The easiest way to meet that EPS is to reduce cost, and YOU are costing IBM money. I really expect a relatively massive RA again in 3Q, especially if their EPS is off target for the year. Good luck to existing employees, and good luck to the Alliance. Your efforts are valiant, but I fear too late. Personally, even with a union, I don't want to work here anymore. I have resumes in to 3 different non-IBM job openings. First offer, I'm out. -anonymous-

Comment 06/24/09: Does anyone know if you are part of the RA and can bridge to retirement...are you considered laid off or retired for unemployment purposes? -Sue-

Comment 06/24/09: I am trying to figure out why no one has posted about the resource actions in Atlanta and all regular ibm employees. This website is not just for people in NY and sometimes it seems that way.. -ldn2012-
Alliance reply: If you or anyone else has information about the RA's in Atlanta then send it to us, to post. It is not true that most of the posters are from NY. They are from all over the country.

Comment 06/23/09: To the Security Clearance guy - I'm a recent RA as well. First - you should consider yourself very very very lucky that you got wind you were going to be RA'd way ahead of anyone else. The process with a massive RA is such that the Exec levels and above have to sign and return a hard-copy of a formal disclosure agreement. The agreement means they can not disclose that there WILL be an RA until one is formally announced (let alone WHO is being consdiered). These higher ups who signed this could lose their jobs. So you are lucky you got the heads up - I wish I did because I might have been able to transfer somewhere else (assuming even THAT was an option, usually the Execs in these divisions freeze movements in/out anyway so no one falls thru the cracks - it appears they hit those who are highest paid and/or with higher years of seniority as well as just plain get rid of as many non-billable people as they can get off the books). I sure would have worked a lot LESS overtime / holiday work, spent more time with my family, taken as much internal education as I could, and started looking for another job while I was still employed. Second - you can take some level of satisfaction that you definately got one or more managers in trouble for disclosing that you were on the RA list or even that a Resource Action was forthcoming. Third - I had a security clearance once, but almost 20 years ago. The Federal Government pays for those clearances, and if it's not paid directly I'm sure it's passed on to the Gov thru the various overhead rates. Are you sure they started the clearance process? It involves talking to your friends and neighbors, past and present and might even involve a polygraph. If you think they started the process, I would think you should be allowed to know if it was completed - that alone is a valuable asset you can take to any other job. You should probably check with the Government agency that was handling the background checks. -scooby doo-

Comment 06/23/09: Not to go off topic from Job Cuts, but just a reminder that HR is in place to PROTECT THE COMPANY AND MANAGERS. Employees are screwed unless we have bargaining power! If you're reading this message board - please join!!! (Note: Does anyone think a separate category for HR issues would be worthwhile?) -Proud Alliance Member-

Comment 06/23/09: Forced out in the end of Q1 based on the low performance rating which was managed by upline. My first line started gathering/probing from July 08, to get all the possible -ve feedback and ignored acknowledging the patents, publications and +ve feedback I received from my counterparts in different Geo. Approached the opendoor ( no panel discussion in our geo and after many attempts a causual telecon, to meet the process compliance) and the opendoor team proved themselves again as rubberstamp to the upline decision. Did not expect the qualitative statement like "The data gathered has been analysed and it has been found that while your performance at the individual level has not been poor, your performance has not met the requirements of an employee at your level of seniority" from a group that is supposed to be metric based and analyse the data with facts. I dont understand why it should take 90+ days to close opendoor ticket just to endorse the earlier decision. Anyway no one believes that proper analysis is done if opendoor sleeps over it for 90 days before sending out their message. By all means "opendoor" is an ineffective body/overhead in the organization ( my strong feeling is, it is designed to be so to meet some of the mandatory process compliances, lost its original intent. unfortunately I have no choice on my upline ( with pointed skills and no other group in our geo works in the similar area) which has no clue on this competency, and makes decisions based on biased opinions rather than facts/metrics. -Ex_IBMer_personality clash-

Comment 06/23/09: to mr security clearance, let it go, give up. take the package and walk away from IBM. find something better, it's out there. when i was given my 30 days I too had another position lined up in another group who very honestly wanted my skill-set bad.. I was reassured by my manager up one side and down the other that there wouldn't be any problem getting me transferred before the 30 days, i just had to stay on top of it.. it quickly became apparent though that thanks to Joanne Collins-Smee, there would be no transfer.. even with 4th line managers appealing on my behalf.. my 1st line was really quite clueless, dont think he was intentionally deceitful on the whole thing.. i just think he had no idea what an impossible task it is to be removed from the RA list.. once you're on it, forget about IBM. It's sad but the sooner you let go of this fight and look forward, the better off you'll be.. and that goes for everyone who finds themselves on an RA list. forget about transferring inside the company. take those 30 days and do something productive, shut off sametime and start job searching. -exibmer-

Comment 06/23/09: "security clearance guy"- I am sorry to see that you fell for the IBM crap, and sorry to see they treated you this way. When I got my clearance 10 years ago, the cost of obtaining the clearance was a bit over 40k and took almost 3 months to get. Unfortunately if IBM knew you were on the RA list December 2008, why would they invest 40k on a person they are going to RA when they can just RA you and get a contractor that already has a clearance and they dont have to champion the cause keep you to Joanne Collins-Smee? I do think it sucks that you didnt get it though. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/23/09: what a messed up story from Security Clearance Guy! I've heard similar f'up stories so, unfortunately you are NOT alone! I just found out today that all the IBM Employees in the ESC in Raleigh that handle separation processing /paperwork are fired effective 6/30. Not sure how many are affected. Their jobs are moving to Maylasia. -Proud Alliance Member-

Comment 06/23/09: IBM is not alone in offering reasonable severance. This note today on the upcoming layoffs at Harvard: "Employees who are laid off will receive 60 days of pay, a lump-sum severance of one to two weeks of pay for each year of service, enhanced severance benefits that include an additional four weeks of pay, and the ability to continue medical and dental benefits for 18 months, with a full year at subsidized rates, Hausammann said." -Didi02453-

Comment 06/23/09: I'm a contractor working for STG and my contract was to be up at the end of June. Yesterday I received a call from the consulting firm informing me that the contract will not be renewed and that my last day will be Friday. That actually suits me. My tour of duty at IBM has not been pleasant. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/23/09: This last story by "security clearance guy" really makes it clear that you do NOT have 30 days to find another job within the company as they lie to you about. It's just something to give you false hope and keep you from getting angry until after you are out the door. I had applied for 6 posted jobs within my 30 days and nobody even responded. Now I know why. The appeal process to get you off the RA list is something they can't be bothered with. Unless you have a manager that really likes you and really wants to help you, forget it. A Union is the only way to protect your rights and dignity in a company like this. Thanks for sharing. -gone_in_07-

Comment 06/23/09: I had similar experience and it was worse. How was your PBC rating ? -DCer-

Comment 06/23/09: >>I have also been told that I have 48 hours now to sign the separation agreement if I want to receive my severance payment.
Sign the paperwork, -Anonymous-. Yours is another in the long line of painful firing stories, and IBM wins, again. They have had a target painted on your back since Dec. 2008. Sign the paperwork. Why? Simple: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/22/09: My advice as a 16 year IBMer that was RA'd... Take the sev pack and run!! The coming RA's may not get as good of a sev pack since IBM has the right to amend/change it at anytime, and I'm betting they will. BTW: The last RA calls went out on the last Friday of March. Anyone heard about the next RA... are the calls coming Friday, the last Friday of this Q? Good luck to all! -Anonymous-

Comment 06/22/09: I was part of the May 15, 2009 resource action group. I had found out back in December 2008 that I would be affected by an RA as of May 15th . However, as of February I had not received the official notification of the RA in writing. I was offered a job in writing by Div 16 (Federal) back in February 2009. I informed the hiring team lead and manager that I was going to be a part of an upcoming RA. My active manager at the time had also spoken to both of them also concerning my upcoming RA announcement. My manager and I were both working to ensure that I was transferred over to the new group before the RA announcement and we had both been reassured that this was going to happen. The delay of my being transferred was due to the fact that I had to get a security clearance for the job. Again I was assured that I would be transferred prior to my end date of May 15th regardless of whether or not I had received the clearance. The official RA announcement for my team came at the end of March and my departure date was moved up to April 23rd. I immediately informed my prospective management team. Again I was reassured that everything would be fine. A few days later I received a call from the hiring manager saying that an appeal had to be submitted to get me off the RA list and transferred into the division. I asked if I should be worried and was told no. A few days after I was told that they would not be able to move forward with the job offer because the appeals board had come back saying that a band 6 could not be removed from the RA list and transferred. I was a band 7 and didn’t quite understand how that affected me. Apparently, I was going to have to be transferred into the division as a band 6 even though I was a band 7. Further, I was told that my being transferred in could not be justified because Div 16 had been affected by the RA as well and if anything they would have to staff the position with someone over there. I felt that I had been treated unfairly because I had received the offer in writing prior to being put on the official RA list and the hiring management team was well aware of my situation when they offered the position to me. I decided to go through corporate appeals. To date I have not signed my separation agreement. I received my decision today from the corporate appeals office stating that I had not been treated unfairly. I was told that the state of business had changed between the time the offer was made to me and when I was put on the official RA list. Further, I was told that I would not be receiving my security clearance. I had originally been told several times by the Div 16 management team that I would be receiving my top secret security clearance regardless of me being RA’d because the process had begun when the offer was made and this would be granted to me. Now I have been told that it was not a security clearance that I was going to receive, but some other type of background investigation. Further, the background investigation that was being done would be null and void because I am no longer an IBM employee. I have also been told that I have 48 hours now to sign the separation agreement if I want to receive my severance payment. This situation is really upsetting and completely unfair to me and if anyone has some advice on what further steps I can take, then please respond . . . Email me -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: Throughout this whole situation, IBM was planning on giving you NO advantage. They were planning on firing you, by default; if things they had discussed with you didn't work out to THEIR advantage. I'm sorry to say, that there are no real "further steps" you can take to keep your job or get the job you thought IBM would give you. Don't be deceived into believing that IBM cared about you or that they just changed their mind at the last minute, because of 'the needs of the business'. You are/were an AT WILL EMPLOYEE. You have no bargaining rights, no employment rights or entitlement to a job as long as you work without a union contract.
I'm sorry for your job loss and what IBM did to you. It is shameful. That's why we continue to say over and over and over and over.. ORGANIZE! Don't wait for IBM to do you any favors or tell you the truth. They won't. They never will. You work at their will, as long as you are an individual AT WILL EMPLOYEE. You have no legal standing, whatsoever.
If you became a union worker; your contract would prevent 95% of the games that were played by IBM against you.

Comment 06/22/09: >>How these scumbags can fire people then call them 'retired' is beyond comprehension,<<
-exSVLer-, how did you leave? Did you leave as fired, i.e., RA'ed, or as retired? Sam the Sham sent me a hearty handclasp on my 'retirement', even though I was fired and forced to take retirement because I wanted to collect my pension. It seems that IBM hired the lawyers who wrote the words which screwed the employees that put up with the lies for years and years. IOW, the House That IBM Built. BTW, you're right on Congress, they got theirs and they couldn't care less about the rest of us.
>>Thank you Alliance, because if it wasn't for you, I would have been in the dark. -Cobra- <<
Amen. We ALL would have been in the dark. Oh, and don't forget: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. UNIONIZE OR BE SCREWED. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/22/09: I'm sorry, but IBM has laid off, what, 16,000 Americans this year? And hired who knows how many in India, Singapore, et all? And it isn't in WSJ, NY Times news? Who the hell do these people know - or own - that IBM comes off as a good American company? I am so mad about this, I can barely see. I think I did OK in the RA (I was a Feb cut); I am at least getting by. But lots of folks got it up the shoot, and we fete Sam at the White House? Thanks for the space to rant, hang tough, brothers and sisters, and start looking at making your own businesses. They have fired a lot of FABULOUS people, and I bet you are one of them! Let's show them what idiots they are! -Wondering aloud-
Alliance reply: You question about WSJ and NY Times answer is: It was news for a day or two. But IBM gets away with only a fraction of the negative coverage they should get; because they've convinced Americans and the corporate media that "they are a Global company and this kind of thing happens all the time"...BAU. Even the SEC leaves them alone, with regard to the way they report their job cuts; because it's 'Global'. Get it? It's just an excuse.
That's why IBMers NEED to organize faster and harder than the media machine can dismiss RA's, as no news. IBMers wanting and needing change; need to do it NOW. Don't sit around ranting and raving about how IBM screwed them. It's too late by then. If you even think there may be a way for you to avoid being fired or RA'd; you're seriously BS'ing yourself. Don't wait for the Govt., the corporate press, or anyone else to come to your rescue. YOU come to your rescue. You can do this. We can do this. Contact Us or email: ibmunionalliance@gmail.com

Comment 06/22/09: to EPS11: The day after the Feb 09 RA's took place. Approx 5,000 folks across all divisions were line item transferred to CIO office. This includes, but not limited to business controls, App developers, Software Architects, and such. This was to centralize the BT/CIO organization structure making it a 'silo'. These people are still paid by their previous divisions, yet the divisions have no say in what the people work on. This has decimated many projects in mid course and created a bloated structure. The purpose is two fold. One to centralize work, the other more insidious is that 5,000 folks many of who do the same job will be RA'd come end of this or early next year but since they are across many boundaries. The loss of headcount will be harder to pin down. With regard to GR's, many IGS project plan spread sheets have a cost column for GR's to compare with US employees. -anon-

Comment 06/21/09: Look folks... it is not helping to sit quietly and hope that you don't get hit in the next round of layoffs. It is not just the poor performers that are being affected, and nothing you do will protect you (apart from being in the golden tower that is calling the shots). Who do you think will have your best interests in mind? The CEO, upper management, shareholders, Wall Street? Or your fellow workers, organized together? YES, there are corrupt and lazy people in the union world. I was one who saw the bad side of things firsthand. But now it is undeniable that we are witnessing the negatives on the other side, and I am now ready for change. -1 2 X U-
Alliance reply: You've put it very bluntly, but eloquently. Without a union contract, IBM workers will spin their wheels until they come off. There really are good strong unions out there; that have learned from the past corruption and 'laziness' as you put it. One of the best is CWA. Alliance@IBM is part of the CWA family and we are also partners with other CWA locals (Washtech), made up of IT workers like you. Organizing is not easy. It takes work and perseverance. The good news is that CWA is helping people to organize and win elections, every year, in companies all over the US. We can do this. You can do this. All you need to do is decide that you want change. Once you've taken that step, you're on your way. The secret is: bring others with you. Teach them what you know and what you've realized. You can do this. We can do this. Contact Us or email: ibmunionalliance@gmail.com

Comment 06/20/09: Along with the comment about Sales and Distribution jobs being given to GR's now, I just found out first hand that the CIO's office in the US is hiring GR's as well now, these are for US positions.....GO IBM!!!!! I hope this all catches up to Mr Obama who keeps saying stop offshoring but has a direct tie to Mr Palmadickhead. I hope Palmisano's children eventually feel the pain that the avearge American is feeling with Mortgages, Gas Prices, and what not. -EPS 11-
Alliance reply: There is no evidence that Obama has any "direct tie" to IBM's CEO. Instead of complaining about IBM's CEO; why not try organizing? You may get some results, that you won't get; hoping Sam's children feel pain. Hoping for that is simply a waste of your time and energy.

Comment 06/20/09: Me - GR means global resource - the ones our jobs are going to -anonymous-

Comment 06/19/09: To RA'd in Feb- I had the same thing happen to me (health insurance canceled due to "non-payment.") I also called ESC and escalated the situation to someone who actually apologized for the screw up and reinstated my insurance. I think incompetence plays a large part in this. -Fired and "retired" in Feb 09-

Comment 06/19/09: To all whose age + years of service reached the magic number of 70. I had posted info several weeks ago about the COBRA reduction program and how we are being determined ineligible because IBM has excluded us from the plan. I filed a claim with DOL and received my rejection letter today. I followed up with both the Dept. of Labor who sent me to the IRS. The IRS sent me back to the Dept. of Labor. I've also contacted our NY Sr. Senator. Their advice get people to start complaining in large groups to get action. Net is this: The loophole in this legislation originates in WA. IBM attorneys and other corporations are taking advantage of this. I was only with IBM 10 years, but it seems the fact that I am offered a group plan at $1800/mon. for 2 people renders me ineligible for the COBRA reduction. I wasn't bind or ignorant at the company. I worked for a paycheck and never bought into the bill of goods sold. I expected to leave on my own terms -- a fatal mistake. I appreciate all that the alliance is trying to do -- but they can't do it alone. It takes the collective voice and support of many to make a difference. Thank you Alliance, because if it wasn't for you, I would have been in the dark. -Cobra-

Comment 06/19/09: Steve - my understanding is that you are only able to receive a package (severance and also unemployment benefits) if your job has been formally eliminated - by something like a resource action. For you to voluntary retire or resign is not the same thing. -anonymous-

Comment 06/19/09: Well it's no surprise that the pro-business wing of the Supreme Court that sides with the billionaires over the common man. A union is the only thing that has ever gotten us worker rights, however eroded they may be today. Grandpa worked 6 days a week and on Sunday went in to grease the machines. Unions in the 30s won for us Saturdays off. Unions didn't bring us exploding Ford Pintos, management did.. -25-yr IBMer-

Comment 06/19/09: Sorry for the silly question, but what is GR or GRing? -Me-
Alliance reply: Global Resource (offshore worker), Global Resourcing (sending work offshore).

Comment 06/18/09: Steve Bergeron: I recently asked for a package and I would retire. I was told there are no packages available. I said fine, I'll just keep passing go and collecting my pay until they get tired of seeing me. There's no pleasing them assholes. -PassGoandCollect-

Comment 06/18/09: I recently asked IBM for a separation payment due to my decision to retire, has anyone ever received a separation package based on your intent to retire. Please email me, examples of such payments may strengthen a legal case against IBM. uvm2000@aol.com -Steve Bergeron-

Comment 06/18/09: Not good news: Supreme Court makes age bias suits harder to win http://tinyurl.com/m8z6mu -Think-

Comment 06/18/09: I received the response from the DOL regarding the denial of COBRA premium reduction. They determined I'm not eligible since I was eligible for 'other group coverage.' How these scumbags can fire people then call them 'retired' is beyond comprehension, but it's typical of the piece of crap IBM has become. As far as contacting your 'representative' in Congress, don't make me laugh. These people know who they work for and it's not the American people. It's this mindset of most IBM employees, that, writing to Congress can make a difference, or if I just work hard I won't be fired, that is the reason so few are interested in the union. They still believe the BS they've been fed all their lives about how wonderful our American system is. -exSVLer-

Comment 06/18/09: Didn't see this posted yet: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/17/pm_endangered_engineers/ was carried last night on NPR stations. Discussion about mounting job losses amongst engineers. IBM's "Project Match" discussed -laying_low-

Comment 06/18/09: More fun stuff from IBM. I got a letter 2 days saying that my COBRA has been cut off b/c of 'non-payment of premium.' I have never missed a payment and have the IBM-cashed checks to prove it. ESC has opened a case to review. Can't tell if this is mean-spirited, underhanded or just incompetent. -RA'd in Feb-

Comment 06/18/09: I for one, look at where the profits from the car I purchase, go. As many have pointed out Toyotas and Nissans as well as Chryslers and Chevys are assembled here. But do the profits stay here and get spent here or are they shipped home to the land of the Rising Sun. On the other hand who cares. This is about organizing the IBM Corporation in the United States. Not what we will drive to the unemployment office as long as we can afford gasoline. It does not matter who's fault it is. Assigning blame has nothing to do with fixing the problem. We do not need to " Blamestorm". The problem is that IBM U.S. is not an organized union shop with a labor contract that is fair to the employees. Period. The solution is organize IBM U. S. -Exodus2007-

Comment 06/18/09: Take a look at this latest incentive on jobs under attack "IBM Italy offers to all its 7000 employees the possibility to stay at home for 2 years while being paid 35% of their salary and being guaranteed a job on their return" (*) -T-

Comment 06/18/09: If you feel age discrimination was involved in your job loss, write to your Congressperson ASAP and let them know. I'm assuming most will not file under ADEA as there's nothing monetary to be gained....so our elected officials are less aware of what IBM is doing. Take the time to let Congress know that IBM discriminates based on age and that you don't want your taxpayer money going to companies that do this. I wrote and a few days ago received a call from one of my congressman's aides asking if there was data to support my contention of age discrimination. I reminded him that most of those who lost our jobs (aka "were selected") had that information. I told him the evidence was clear. If all of us griping here spent a few minutes complaining to our Senators and Representatives, perhaps companies that discriminate will not be rewarded with stimulus funds or other corporate welfare. -Think-

Comment 06/18/09: Interesting link (6/16), -TBH-. Note how just about all the press is from the companies themselves, except for you-know-who.
>> For way too long, I walked the IBM line, PBC, IDP (and they never sent me for any training), monthly meeting, bringing value, but
largely, I became complacent, I worked hard, maybe even smart, but based out of fear. Key is whether I will learn from this, I will keep
my fingers crossed, for myself. One word - which is key - Evolve. -MD-

You left off 'be visible', -MD-. All other aspects of the fear-driven rule by the sadists (thanks, Gorya) were spot on. In addition to 'evolve', take a deep breath, be glad to be away from the repressive fear and threats, and plan for the rest of our lives.

>>However, I would not call them traitors, but instead scared people that are biding their time.

You're partially correct, -A-Job-. Some are very fearful and can't do anything about the jobs (and lives) being ruined by the outsourcing. However, I also knew a guy who would sell his grandmother for IBM who went there to train a new center.

>>or collect unemploymet insurrance all due to taking a reduced retirement.

-Job seeker-, have you tried appealing the decision? I have done so after also having the benefit reduced by the pension. There are those who post on the 'RA' board that they got their benefit after they appealed. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/17/09: http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800575518_480200_NT_ead96591.HTM
EE Times lists "Top 10 electronics blunders" of recent months. And the winner is:
"1. IBM mum on layoffs - IBM has quietly let go some 10,000 workers in recent months, according to an IBM workers labor union. Big Blue has for the most part declined to comment on these layoffs.... Speculation by the union and others is that IBM is keeping layoffs on
the down low in order to stay under the radar. But, if so, this policy has backfired miserably, with every whisper of an IBM job
reduction attracting greater scrutiny and more distrust/publicity courtesy of the union." -Gorya-
Alliance Reply: Yeah...we're just 'ruthless people', aren't we?

Comment 06/17/09: To RA'd in 2009: Interesting you should mention the 'vacations' in India being taken by SME's, etc. Before I retired in '06, folks were sending around pictures of themselves at the Taj Mahal taken during training excursions. Nice, huh? -RetiredIn06-

Comment 06/17/09: ANOTHER $10 Million going outside America. CRAZY -- With so much Jobless and current economic situation $'s are going away from this land. Infosys bags $10 mn Microsoft deal
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infosys-bags-10-mn-Microsoft-deal/articleshow/4669031.cms
Congress MEN / WOMEN and SENATORS Are all of you SLEEPING ??? -p.ramki-

Comment 06/17/09: Saw on JOBS that business and solution design positions within s&d and other divisions are now being targeted for GR's as well, location of position is listed as Banglore. If you think its only technical jobs leaving the US market, think again, this company needs to move its headquarters overseas, no reason for it to reap tax breaks in the US anymore. -Indian Business Machines-

Comment 06/17/09: To -dun-4- Of course they are traitors. And not only that, this is the first generation that sold out there children's inheritance also. Every other generation, your parents and grandparents, wanted even better for their offspring. In general, this is the first generation (now) that is doing this, and leaving their children nada. I am not saying EVERYONE but look at our country. It is done 4. And those jobs that are going overseas??? They are never coming back, in your lifetime or your childrens. -Baba-

Comment 06/17/09: IBM is a for profit, publically traded stock company. As such it is absolutely slave to the stock market and quarterly results. If IBM is forced to show rising revenues and earnings per share in order to satisfy its investors it will cut costs by trading expensive American employees for inexpensive foreign workers, it will seek to acquire revenue growth through mergers and acquisitions and it will regularly adjust its product priorities and market focus in what ever way it can to avoid the dread quarterly loss or the even worse under performing stock price. You cannot be a stock holder who wants to see shares at 150 per and also want the company to keep $100k+ engineers on staff. They are conflicting interests. Working for a privately held corporation, one that does not trade stock, is an amazing eye opener. Management has much more freedom to weather economic down-turns, especially if ownership is committed to the long term. The world's best examples of that are two Raleigh area companies, SAS and Quintiles Transnational. People who work for those two operations are blessed. -Sad But True-

Comment 06/17/09: Sad's comment forgets the fact that there WAS resistence to the foreign car manufacturers and they responded by building plants here. So, they Honda's and Toyotas etc. you see on the streets here were almost certainly made here, by American workers. Maybe not unionized, but getting by. India, Inc. is a whole different story for the American worker. -Barb-

Comment 06/17/09: Age 56 35 years with IBM was laid off from Global Services April 27th. Had to take the reduced retirement, cannot collect on subsudised COBRA, or collect unemploymet insurrance all due to taking a reduced retirement. Appealed to the Dept of Labor on the Cobra, well they basically said no COBRA subsidy. Under Cobra subsidy my medical for a family of 4 would have been $138 per month, my retirement medical for a family of 4 is 1900 per month, and the so called TMP COBRA is 397 per month. Penalized for being 56 years old, 35 years of loyalty! No bargain what so ever. Sent letters to my gov't representatives, they have no clue on COBRA subsidy eligibility. -Job seeker-

Comment 06/17/09: -dun-4-, The 2nd-line and SMEs who are going over to India`are seeing the opportunity as a free trip and are staying at some good hotels. One SME I knew arranged side trips, including to the Taj Mahal. This has been going on for awhile now. -RA'ed in 2009-

Comment 06/17/09: I have heard from IBMers in Dutchess County that IBM is now forcing work at home employees to report to Fishkill in order to mask the number of layoffs that have taken place. People are being told that they must now commute 30 miles or more each way so IBM can hide what they are doing from NY State. It is truly shameful. - DISGUSTED -ex-Beemer-

Comment 06/17/09: To dun-4, You are right in your sentiments that it is a real sucky thing to have to train GR's. I am sure that some of these IBM'ers are sick to their gut; but at the same time planning their exit when the training is done and of course you have the majority that do not have a clue what is encroaching their own fate. However, I would not call them traitors, but instead scared people that are biding their time. The majority live pay check to pay check and the only way they understand is to do what is required of them. -A-Job-

Comment 06/16/09: http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/3449-4049 -SomeGuy-

Comment 06/16/09: @Sad But True >> You just don't get it. The jobs going overseas in the high tech industry have more to do with current US tax laws than with employee pay or skill. And that Chevy/Ford/Chrysler your driving maybe more foreign made than the Hondas/Toyotas/VWs/etc that your so worried about. You should ask yourself; how Honda, Toyota, VW, et al can build well crafted and cost effective cars with American workers if GM, Chrysler and Ford can not? Your either looking at this picture upside down or your not really for supporting the American worker. Which is it? -CM-

Comment 06/16/09: Anonymouse is right. IBM doesn't deserve tact. They are Nazis AND sadists. Read "IBM and the Holocaust", by Edwin Black. -Gorya-

Comment 06/16/09: http://www.informationweek.co/news/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=RUTLVCJQS4ZVAQSNDLPSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=217801222

IBM Mulling Divestitures, Document Shows

Records indicate Big Blue may be looking to pare down under performing units.

InformationWeek
June 15, 2009 01:45 PM

IBM may spin off some of its internal business units, according to a document filed in connection with an employee lawsuit. -anon-

Comment 06/16/09: To the theorists, who debate how manufacturing jobs went to BRIC countries, and we were using Honda, Lexux, and how we shop at Walmart. To those, who rationalize, (or irrationalize), that GR are not comparable in skill, isn't there just evolution happening ? I am not an IBM sucker, matter-of-fact been RA'ed myself, but I understand, that I must get better, just to survive. I will hit 40 next month, and am on notice, but I don't see the point of complaining. Yes, the department has discriminated against a few of us, very factually, I can state this and provide proof, however, I don't have it in me to fight this corporation, I will take my severance and go. For way too long, I walked the IBM line, PBC, IDP (and they never sent me for any training), monthly meeting, bringing value, but largely, I became complacent, I worked hard, maybe even smart, but based out of fear. Key is whether I will learn from this, I will keep my fingers crossed, for myself. One word - which is key - Evolve. -MD-

Comment 06/16/09: This site needs to be kept current with the job cuts at IBM --
http://news.cnet.com/tech-layoffs/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 -TBH-

Comment 06/16/09: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/taa/taa_search_form.cfm
If you scroll to the bottom and search by company "IBM", you will see all the TAA determinations were denied/terminated, except one. For the most part they were all denied because under the old rules the job needed to produce and "article". However under the new TAA rules "services" are now accepted as to the requirement starting in May. It seems like a new petition needs to be filled out for Global Services Division. The petition needs at least 3 affect employees to complete the form. http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/docs/RevisedPetition.pdf
I was let go back in 2007, and I worked alone primarily from my home office. Does anyone have any ideas how I could contact two other employees whom were affect by outsourcing to complete this form with me? -outsourced-
Alliance reply: We have been working on this and find that the IBM example is confusing to the State and Federal TAA contacts.
Even though the rules have changed the IBM"matrix" where workers are located all over the country (instead of a single plant site)complicate things a bit.
First of all you need to contact your State Rapid Response rep.
Here is the information for TAA and the State contacts you should talk to:
http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitions.cfm AND/OR http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/contacts.cfm
You should contact the State contact person in the State your work site is/or where you report to according to blue pages.
Please send us your contact info and we will pass it on to others. Send to ibmunionalliance@gmail.com

Comment 06/16/09: I agree with what you said. We should find way to be able to live off with less salary, spend less. We must offer more values than the Indians and Chineses. We should try to buy American products when they offer equal value for our money. Let's read your post again. -Drgunzet-
Comment 06/16/09: IBM'ers: If your job is going to India or China it is for the same reason that hundreds of thousands of other Americans
have seen there jobs go there before yours. Do you expect American workers unemployed because their manufacturing jobs left before your technology jobs have sympathy for you? Did you support American manufacturing when it was being sent over seas? Of course not. The parking lot at the RTP facility (from where I was RA'd) is full of Hondas and Toyotas and Subarus. Even the odd Lexus, Acuras and even a Bentley. We ignored it while it was happening all around us and now it is our turn. We did it to ourselves and it is ridiculous to cry, why me, why my job when all of you who support foreign manufacturers sad by and rationalized that foreign was better. Well, here's news: Indian and Chinese software engineers are doing it better and cheaper than you did. Welcome to the decline of America. -Sad But True-

Comment 06/16/09: Our 2nd line manager is going to India next week to meet with the employees. As a separate project, he is sending a few SME's over to India to train them on the products. Apparently, there aren't enough skills over there and it's holding up GR-ing the accounts. I can't help but feel the US workers who are going over there are traitors. -dun-4-

Comment 06/16/09: IBM CEO's Description Of Big Blue Used Against It In Court http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/06/ibm_ceos_descri.html -anon-

Comment 06/16/09: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090616/BIZ/906160315
IBM job cuts violate deal E. Fishkill layoffs total 900 in 2008.
For months, IBM has steadfastly refused to disclose employment head counts by site. But at an event Thursday trumpeting the company's
"commitment to New York," Big Blue handed out promotional materials stating "there are approximately 5,000 employees working at the
Poughkeepsie site."
Earlier this year, IBM announced it employed 10,700 in Dutchess County between two sites — East Fishkill, where semiconductors are
manufactured, and Poughkeepsie, where mainframes are built. That's 900 fewer employees than one year earlier, when the company
said it employed 11,600 in Dutchess County. At the end of 2007, the last time IBM disclosed site-specific job numbers, it reported 6,600 workers in East Fishkill and 5,000 in Poughkeepsie. IBM can't explain discrepancy Last week's revelation that the Poughkeepsie head count remains at
5,000 means there were 900 job cuts in the last year in East Fishkill, which would violate a deal announced in July by Gov. David Paterson. Under the agreement, Big Blue promised to spend $1.5 billion to expand and upgrade facilities in New York in exchange for a $140 million subsidy from taxpayers. That included a $45 million check the state wrote IBM on Dec. 15 for not laying off any East Fishkill workers during 2008. IBM spokesman Jeff Couture was unable to explain the apparent discrepancy."I don't know where the specific job cuts came from," he said. "I
don't have specific breakdowns for each site. I can't say they specifically came from East Fishkill." -anon-

Comment 06/16/09: IBM'ers: If your job is going to India or China it is for the same reason that hundreds of thousands of other Americans have seen there jobs go there before yours. Do you expect American workers unemployed because their manufacturing jobs left before your technology jobs have sympathy for you? Did you support American manufacturing when it was being sent over seas? Of course not. The parking lot at the RTP facility (from where I was RA'd) is full of Hondas and Toyotas and Subarus. Even the odd Lexus, Acuras and even a Bentley. We ignored it while it was happening all around us and now it is our turn. We did it to ourselves and it is ridiculous to cry, why me, why my job when all of you who support foreign manufacturers sad by and rationalized that foreign was better. Well, here's news: Indian and Chinese software engineers are doing it better and cheaper than you did. Welcome to the decline of America. -Sad But True-

Comment 06/15/09: Sad but true..I would drive a Ford and GM's etc (and I have) if they didn't keep breaking down after 3-4 years..for the quality I have got from those cars they should be priced at about 50% of what they sell for...IBM systems built by Americans, Canadians, British don't break down after such little mileage. -DM-

Comment 06/15/09: To Web editor - I'm responding to a few comments in this section, however my comment isn't directly related to IBM job cuts... though as I mention at the end of my comment, yes, I am an IBM RA 'alumna'. So please feel free to remove this comment or to move it with reference back to the job cuts section. With that said, I have always owned *US built* Toyotas and Hondas. I believed in doing so that I was supporting BOTH US jobs AND the environment. My current car is rated as a highly efficient, very low emissions vehicle. And, I've only owned three cars in 30 years, so they seem pretty reliable. Also, if the debate is wrt to union vs. non-union, YES I support unions. And no, I didn't choose Honda and Toyota because they weren't UAW. However, I made what I considered to be a very balanced decision, and have had three very reliable cars as a result. Also btw, I was part of the IBM January RA, so my comments *may* carry a bit more weight with some... though frankly I think we should *all* feel free to share our points of view. Now, feel free to rant at my comments. : ( -Re perceived linkages between IBM RA's and the US Auto industry-

Comment 06/15/09: Dear -gone - I forgot, what company do you work for? I'm sure you've mentioned it by name but I must have missed it. We sure would like to know. -By the Way-

Comment 06/15/09: To Sad But true: Don't give me that crap. You expect me to waste $20-30K on a piece of rolling junk because it's made by an American company? Sorry, but I got burned by both Ford and GM in the past, never again. -anon-

Comment 06/15/09: Want to make a difference? WRITE TO YOUR REPs in CONGRESS. Get EVERYONE you know to write. Everyday.
Congress listens to large corporate powers UNLESS the voters make it clear what will happen in the next election. -CM-

Comment 06/15/09: We're just ending a 'forced' vacation mode for the contractors in ITD. They were told they had to take 5 days unpaid vacation that ended 6/12. They were also told no overtime. I wonder what's in store next? We're running pretty bare bones, and I think mgmt knows it. They're trying to come up with other ways to save money instead of lay-offs. (Of course that will resume as they continue to off-shore the jobs). I am wondering when our division will be given the 'option' of taking the 1/3 pay vacation time off. -miss understanding-

Comment 06/15/09: @ Sad But true ** Be careful when you assume who is buying American made and who isn't. I bought my current Honda because it was 68% American made as opposed to the Chevrolet I was considering which was 52% American made. To me buying the Chervrolet meant paying American management and foreign workers, while buying the Honda meant paying foreign management and American workers. -CM-

Comment 06/15/09: i was notified by many contractors in my division that their last day is Wednesday. I am in BTO. I haven't heard of any regulars but regulars were hit in March. I wonder if the contractors are affected because it's a quick change before end of 2nd quarter earnings. -current_ibmer-

Comment 06/15/09: For those of you that were wondering why no posts since 6/8, I sure hope you had a chance to send in your Alliance membership in the interim since you apparently consider this a necessary communication service to stay in touch with what is truly happening in IBM now. Without support the webmaster might not be around some day? -Go Alliance-

Comment 06/15/09: I see there are still many using this site to ask, "anybody know of new layoffs?" Unbelievable. They will never stop. The only thing you can do is step up and form a union, or find a job with a different company. By the way, the company I now work for gave me a bonus for the year that was more in one check than my las 5 years of variable pay at ibm combined. There is life after ibm, and it's better. -gone_in_07-

Comment 06/15/09: >>Show some tact -Anonymous-
Why? My manager showed me no tact, and I presented the firing experience as fact. You didn't have the same experience? Good for you. Don't attempt to minimize what was done to me. Don't even dare. Tell you what. I'll hereafter refer to them as sadists. Better? Good. -Anonymouse-

Comment 06/14/09: To every IBM'er who drives a car built overseas and not by American workers, to everyone of you who shops at Wal-Mart and spends your money on products made in China, to every one of you who thinks foreign made is better made or cool, well, if you are RA'd or on the list to be because your job in moving to India, you have gotten what you deserve. Don't complain that IBM off shored the job that you drove to in your Acura. No sympathy from me, the United Autoworkers or anyone in America who once worked in the textile industry. -Sad But true-

Comment 06/14/09: To Anon - what is the product? Perhaps there are others out there with the skills and we can find the customers and fix them up too. Share the wealth? -RAed in Jan-

Comment 06/14/09: Are there truly no comments since the 8th of June? -Thinking-
Alliance Reply: I am out of town and was unable, until today, to connect. Sorry for the delay.

Comment 06/14/09: So how many cuts for the week of June 22nd? Is this going to be another big round? -anonymous-

Comment 06/14/09: No posts since the 8th? What happened? -justme-
Alliance Reply: I am out of town and was unable, until today, to connect. Sorry for the delay.

Comment 06/14/09: http://tinyurl.com/nxddkd This affects laid off Minnesota IBMers.
"Between November 2008 and February 2009, the affected workers from each of the five companies were notified of pending dislocations by Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices, public announcements or directly by company management. This grant includes workers laid off from the following companies: Celestica, Hutchinson Technology Inc ., International Business Machines (IBM), Seagate Technology Inc. and Target." -Think-

Comment 06/14/09: FYI to those getting the RA package with respect to COBRA coverage. I assumed (and was wrong) that for the period where IBM was covering salary and benefits (6 months for me) that I would continue to pay whatever I was paying as an employee and then when the 6 months ended, the COBRA coverage of 65% would kick in. That way I'd pay $400 a month then when IBM coverage was done, COBRA would pick up 65% of the $1000 monthly fee, leaving me with $350 a month fee. NOPE. COBRA starts the day you are unemployed so my monthly fee is 35% of the $400....or $140. This stinks because the 65% from COBRA is only good for 9 months (I think)... so I REALLY need to find a new job with benefits or I'll be paying $1000 a month (family) for health in month 10. -scooby doo-

Comment 06/1309: To EVERYONE out there, RAed, current IBMers... A bit of advice from a recent RAed Senior SW guy... It is easy to get discouraged from trying to excel at IBM because of what we've been seeing for RAs, overlooked contributions, lousy bonuses etc. But something I've been learning since my exit in Feb is this... IBM is STILL the best incubator for your talent, and your accomplishments, while perhaps ignored by IBM, are incredibly useful in the market out there. Use your time at IBM to take those classes, file some patents, write for DeveloperWorks, use your own time if needed, work on a Redbook, do *something* that you can put in the resume. I cannot tell you how many doors this opens. IBM can be a scarlet letter for some prospective employers, but from what I've seen thus far, it has opened many more doors than I would have expected. I've gotten interviews because of a lot of my "other" activities in addition to the jobs I've done in IBM. Often times this shows your initiative, innovative attitude, willingness to not stagnate (take those classes wherever you can; the virtual ones are just fine, and in fact, I took a few on my own time, when they were offered in other time zones, so I just did them at night (like the ones offered for Asia Pacific time zones)) After all, just use your PC at home (and the broadband that IBM no longer pays for ;-) Bottom line is, while it is easy to say to yourself, "why bother" on these extra activities because IBM could not care, others do! This is not taking away from IBM at all, but using what is available to you to make yourself (more) desirable in the marketplace should IBM or you decide a parting of the ways is needed. This is from firsthand experience; I am getting more doors opened because of my patents, publishing etc than on my skillset and job accomplishments alone. -RAed in Jan-

Comment 06/1309: Any word on any more job cuts? -IBM Sucks-

Comment 06/12/09: From a recent CNNMoney.com article: "...Accordingly, if IBM is successful in bidding for contracts for federal stimulus projects -- as the company said it would attempt to do -- then Big Blue may in turn increase its U.S. workforce. "IBM may grow its U.S. workforce to match its stimulus contracts," said Claunch. "They wouldn't be clueless enough to source work out of the U.S. for that."
Maybe. But I think Claunch is giving the clueless and brutal Armonk posse too much credit. So in this case why wouldn't IBM recall those USA ex-employees they like to say were RA'ed or laid off? What IBM would probably do is:
1) Find a loophole or way to offshore the stimulus contracts. The DC beltway jerks are clueless. The stimulus money is just throwing printed paper at an economic crisis that the oversight of the government was responsible for (allowing rampant deregulation). So IBM will do whatever it can for itself even at the expense of the taxpayers and the USA economy.
2) Hire the cheapest USA employees they can whether skilled or qualified. -anonymous-

Comment 06/11/09: What's up with Alliance website? Today is 06/11 and board hasn't been updated since 06/08. -Me-Too-
Alliance Reply: I am out of town and was unable, until today, to connect. Sorry for the delay.

Comment 06/11/09: No new posts in 3-4 days? Is our webmaster on vacation? Or has IBM stopped laying people off? I'd find *that* hard to believe... -Anonyrat-
Alliance Reply: I am out of town and was unable, until today, to connect. Sorry for the delay.

Comment 06/11/09: I was RA'd March 26 with an end date of April 27. I went to the Boulder site, signed the papers and took 26 weeks of severance pay and left. It took me ONLY 7 weeks to find a job that pays 10% more than my band 8 IBM job, snf gave me a signing bonus to boot. I looked at only small to medium sized companies and found a terrific job that I will cherish after enduring the last several years at IBM (left after 19 years of service). Best wishes to all those leaving. -Sagemeister-

Comment 06/11/09: No messages since the 8th? Is something broken? -Anonymous-
Alliance Reply: I am out of town and was unable until to day, to connect. Sorry for the delay.

Comment 06/11/09: Write your representatives in Congress. Get your family and friends to do the same. Write daily if you can. Weekly at least. Go to www.congress.org & this website will help you determine who your representatives are and compose an email to them. ...Here's an example of the emails I'm sending on a daily basis... The current tax laws are encouraging American multinational corporations to invest overseas, instead of investing in the U.S. No matter how you rationalize that behavior, it is not good for our nation. The longer U.S. corporate money is allowed to stay overseas, the more overseas investment by U.S. corporations will grow. By encouraging this overseas investment, these tax laws are costing American jobs. Stand up for American workers, American families, and America's future. Change the tax code to remove these offshore investment incentives. What is good for multi-national corporations is not always good for America. Small business, workers and American tax payers are hurt by the amount of money being shifted overseas by the current tax incentives. -CM-

Comment 06/11/09: Where did the webmaster go? It has been a day or two with no updates to the site. See how much we appreciate you? When you're gone we notice. Thanks for being there!! -appreciate-you-
Alliance Reply: I am out of town and was unable until to day, to connect. Sorry for the delay.

Comment 06/10/09: Regarding Comment 06/06/09: Interesting comment by RacerX... about how layoffs have not hurt IBM. GE also has practiced layoffs and Jack Welsh (or it it Welch) taught a lot of these execs the mantra of yearly layoffs in good times... - keep laying off what you perceive to be your bottom 10% of the workforce and it will work wonders for your business. GE followed this practice mindlessly for decades. Have you checked how GE fared in this recession? 44% drop in revenues. This mindless blather by a heartless and egregiously overpaid executive is now driving that corp to its knees. You can guess what they were left with? The kinds of employees most valued by managers. I am old enough to have one of the "How To Stuff A Wild Duck" posters... How the times have changed. Also, I seem to recall some posters to the effect that "Eagles Don't Flock, You Have to Find Them One By One". May not have been an IBM poster, though. -I.B. Emmer-

Comment 06/10/09: I wonder if anyone know anything about another layoff in STG in POU and EFK Everything is very quiet on the word layoff -Another Layoff in STG?-

Comment 06/10/09: It looks like an am off to my first job as an ex-IBMer, and it is a particularly sweet one. The customer bought one of the IBM buggy bloatware products and could not get it installed and configured properly. IBM is blaming the customer and wants to charge $400-$500/hr for help. Well guess what? IBM fired my ass to save money and I have the perfect expertise for this problem, and from what I can see, there are at least four customers so far who need help. Word is IBM can't find the expertise needed. The kicker is that for two years before I was fired I was trying to transition from development and Level 3 support to doing this exact job! I'm gonna bust my butt for this client and I am delighted to make the customer happy with good service and cut out the IBM middleman and overhead. When IBM dropped 'Respect for the Individual' it dropped "IBM means service" as well, and I hope I can help take IBM's lunch because of it. So make a good resume and post it on dice.com - you might find out somebody out there appreciates what you have to offer, even though IBM doesn't. -anon-

Comment 06/09/09: Does anyone think that Sam P would ever entertain such an idea? http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090609/od_nm/us_britishairways_pay_odd_1
-MuffinMan-

Comment 06/09/09: I just got some info from a former colleague that a bunch of ABAPers got terminated in the San Jose, CA area on 26 May. One guy I know started over 11 years ago. Meanwhile the ABAP jobs go to cheap labor Indians here on L, business or H1B visa or off-shore in India. My experience w/these ABAPers is that they are very inexperienced and the communication is tough, too. Apparently upper management at IBM have decided that it is worth it for them to pay more middle managers to manage the Indians than pay Americans a fair wage and benefits. Seems to me that IBM is also seeking American taxpayer dollars via the stimulus. -c currey-

Comment 06/09/09: Reminder to those hit by IBM RAs/layoffs/firings recently or in the past: There is a Yahoo group to check out as well.
-Porkchop-

Comment 06/09/09: Notice the latest on CNN financial site. IBM is expected to rake 94.8 million from the stimulus package. I guess our politicians are all in cohoot with IBM. No wonder the government has ignored this year's layoffs. -ex-IBMer-

Comment 06/09/09: I am not sure if this is the right forum for this question but I was RA'd with my last day in May. I was told by a church friend that use to work in my state's unemployment office that if my job was sent overseas I should be eligible for the Workforce Investment Act and the 2 years of free training. My project was slated to go completely to Singapore by the end of the year and I was 'supposedly' moving to another project which obviously didn't happen. I hate that I wasted so many nights working because of the time difference with Singapore. A complete waste. Anyway, I got the 2500 in training stuff with my package, but I do not know if I am eligible for it. Does anyone know if I would be or how I could apply? Thanks! -FreeinNC-
Alliance reply: contact the following:
Russell Doles
Governor's Rapid Response Team Manager
North Carolina Department of Commerce
Division of Workforce Development
313 Chapanoke Road, Suite 120
4316 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4316
919-329-5284
Fax: 919-662-4770
Email: rdoles@nccommerce.com
Also: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/benefits.cfm

Comment 06/08/09: There are empty boxes being brought into the Lexington MA complex. Not a good sign for later this month -JohnK-

Comment 06/09/09: Microsoft may abandon US operations to survive
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aaaBdVMkjPnU -Anonymous-

Comment 06/08/09: What address do we have the DOL send our appeal to at IBM? I don't want my appeal for COBRA to end up at a Fidelity address, or in the worng place. Thank you! -Alba-

Comment 06/08/09: The constant Nazi references by --anonymouse-- cheapens this discussion. I'm surprised the moderators allow them to continue. I can appreciate that emotions may be on high, but I think a point can be made without a reference to Nazism. Show some tact -Anonymous-

Comment 06/08/09: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090608/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_stimulus
President Barack Obama assured the nation his recovery plan was on track Monday, scrambling to calm Americans unnerved by unemployment
rates still persistently rising nearly four months after he signed the biggest economic stimulus in history. IT IS ALL BIASED, CURRENT ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT KNOW WHERE AND WHY JOBS POSITION IS LIKE THIS ? crazy RIGHT ? If we just stop OUTSOURCING and get back jobs things will be fine with in one quarter. More worse to come when GM and other auto guys layoff people. Now IBM almost sent most of tem back home and more to come this month end. People in Bangalore are enjoying our $ Dollars. Mr.President replace DOLLARS to RUPEES as American Currency. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/08/09: -MyTurn- Your manager might be trying to treat you as a dumba$$. Demand and get the FULL RA seperation package paperwork from your manager who is trying to hide something from you that you have a legal right to know! Escalate to HR and be a real pain in the a$$ if you have to. -anonymous-

Comment 06/08/09: "IBM performs a total assessment of an employee's relevant skills and performance within a job group, with seniority used as a tie-breaker" TOTAL assessment? By WHOM? By your no-skills manager or by faceless and clueless HR? Then why are PBC "2+" folks with great IT skills being RA'ed and being over 40 years old? Total Armonk BS. It should say:
"IBM performs an assessment of which jobs can be offshored without regards for skills or performance within a job group just to cut costs to the cheapest labor markets so the Armonk executive team can get richer" -RAthis-

Comment 06/08/09: To -IBM UC'd- you mention that you are looking for some PM's. I worked at IBM for over 12 years and have numerous years in PM and setting PMO's. I would be interested in knowing where the job location is at and finding out more about what you are looking for. Please post your direct contact info if you don't mind. -FormerIBMPM-

Comment 06/08/09: My RA pkg does not include totals, numbers, ages, none of that. Just some very basic paperwork for me to sign. -MyTurn-

Comment 06/07/09: So for those who've found a good place to land and are in positions to hire or influence hiring, how can we connect safely with you? Do you have work-at-home opportunities for those who find relocation undesirable? -CDI_drone-

Comment 06/07/09: To IBM UC'd: I work on the Allianz account. Mgmt has been furiously trying to offshore the work by years end. What information do you have that ibm might be losing the allianz account ? They keep telling us Allianz is so happy with our service. Must be just another lie. -dun-4-

Comment 06/07/09: Sorry to hear of the RA's going around - I got out earlier as posted and back in October I warned of the waves of RA's coming up to June as well as the GDC's - it was known back in Aug what was to occur down to 3rd line's. Right now I am a OPS Mgr at another IT company and supervising a PMO and 25 PM's and have IBM with me as the client. I already know the problems with Tivoli, Maximo and other items and already looking at reducing SLA's to conform to one product. Main point I told our CTIO is that we can save $5m by having one product instead of six products that IBM has offshored to Bangalore and can't give us help - that is why he brought me in. IBM should know, if you RA a lot of good people they take that underlying knowledge and are able to use it against them especially that I am on the other side and I pay the bills. Another reason as well not to undercut GOOD I/T setups for cheap short terms that offer no long term rationale. They asked for it, they got it - just they are supposed to maintain a profit line - not just the stock index. BTW - looking at hiring good SAM PM's for my company now and looking at former IBM'rs. My company is in the top 100 and never happier right now. Heard from a friend that IBM lost SunTrust recently and about to lose Allianz and Equifax before end of year. Seems that had to do with BRIC support. -IBM UC'd-

Comment 06/07/09: Received an email withink SWG about taking time off in the summer and receiving 1/3 pay during that time. IBM states it's a way for employees to do other endeavors such as family time or volunteering. My conspiracy side thinks it's a way to push a PBC of 3 to them and then to RA...Manager says "well you did request that extra time off but Susie didn't and put the time in to really go above and beyond...so you get the 3"...and then 3 months later find yourself RA'd...Hard for me to imagine a team of executives taking time to purely plan a way for employees to take time off in addition to vacation with the sole premise of the employees well being... -massworker-

Comment 06/07/09: To -reply to emotional response post- : I was ra'd in 07 and did the same thing for years and years. I pointed all my co-workers to the alliance site. Most were kids but even the 40 plus people acted like I had 3 heads. They would rather keep their eyes closed and hope for the best. I still know a stupid PM who says he only needs 10 more years and he can retire. I suspect they will get him before that as he works from home 100% of the time and lives the good life. When he gets cut he will be totally screwed because he has no skills other than very basic pm skills, not even certified. They will learn the hard way. -rad_in_07-

Comment 06/07/09: >>Most of these comments aren't related to job cuts. Shouldn't they be move to the General Comments section? -Internal Accounts are Dead-
That MIGHT be a good idea in ordinary times, but since these times are similar to 1939 Germany, and this site IS the only site where fearful sheeple IBMers feel perfectly free to talk, I say leave this section alone. If the moderators want to copy these comments to the General Comments sections, that's fine. But this is the first section I come to, only because I was screwed for the second time since 1999, and I think everyone here should should know that it was a result of the Job Cuts. I did NOT retire voluntarily, I was FIRED and chose to retire under duress. My manager threatened me and my team leader was her Goebbels in delivering her threats. Still think we should move to the General Comments section? There is enough censoring on the Yahoo boards, kindly leave this site alone. -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: It is a valid point, that some of these comments may qualify for the "General Visitor" section; however, as long as the topic doesn't stray too far from job cuts and losses, and the effects on the IBMers being cut; I choose to allow them to stay here. Anonymouse also makes a good point that this comments sections is the MOST visited of the group of comment sections on this site. We would truly appreciate visitors navigating through the entire site as well. It helps us to keep it as up-to-date as possible regarding issues such as pensions, health care, labor laws, legislation, and stockholder meetings and updates. This site has a plethora of information and history. Some of it may be out of date. Please read as much as you can of it, and let me know what needs updating and what suggestions for improvements you may have. I'll do my best to accommodate those fixes and ideas.
One thing I should mention is, that it helps if the advice is coming from an Alliance member. After all, members dues pay for this site to exist. Without membership and the $5 or $10 a month dues and/or donations; we would not be here in the first place. Thank you, Anonymouse, for your support. We do appreciate it.
Rick White
Treasurer, Organizer, Web Maintenance
and Health & Safety Representative
CWA Local 1701
Alliance@IBM
www.allianceibm.org
Twitter ID: @allianceibm

Comment 06/07/09: All, If you were RAed recently, please note the Job Cuts Stats tool in the sticky note at the top of this page. It will crunch the numbers from your RA package (PDF) and tell you the RA totals by age. Please report the totals here so we can all see. I wonder if IBM hit its goal of 16,000 yet? The "IBM Values" book was a cookbook!! -Cooked 25yrs-

Comment 06/07/09: >>I guess that kool-aid they serve is extra strong these days! -anonymous-
No, not just 'these days'. I remember in the early nineties asking someone about Lee, whose name I kept hearing. I was told 'oh we don't talk about him' and that 'if you get a union in IBM you have to start from point zero on all your benefits'. Well, this all is SO much better, right? Sure it is. So no, IBM employees have always been fearful little sheeple, it's just going on two decades later and the screwing will go on ad infinitum.
>>Just draw up an employment contract and tell IBM you will move if they sign the contract. -Vinnie-
Hah, who do you think you are, Vinnie? Sam? Lou?
>> I have seen ruthess behavior and vocal rudeness that is apparently unchecked and overlooked, and would not be tolerated in social groups or society outside IBM. Why are these managers not trained and supervised? A few behaved like guards in an Iraq prison IMO, or police in a 3rd world country. -Former IBMer-
So true. My last manager and team leader were the most vile and inhuman people in power I have ever seen in a decades long career in IBM. However, my manager was receiving orders from on high and the team leader was receiving orders from the manager. That was the 'training'. Supervising? The only 'supervising' is in the form of the bonus the manager will get for all the employees threatened in the last two months of their career with severance/no severance in training their underskilled overseas replacements. The team leader's day will no doubt come, but in the meantime he was Goebbels to the manager's Hitler. If anyone still thinks it is anywhere near to the old IBM, they are very much mistaken. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/06/09: Interesting comment by RacerX... about how layoffs have not hurt IBM. GE also has practiced layoffs and Jack Welsh (or it it Welch) taught a lot of these execs the mantra of yearly layoffs in good times... - keep laying off what you perceive to be your bottom 10% of the workforce and it will work wonders for your business. GE followed this practice mindlessly for decades. Have you checked how GE fared in this recession? 44% drop in revenues. This mindless blather by a heartless and egregiously overpaid executive is now driving that corp to its knees. You can guess what they were left with? The kinds of employees most valued by managers. The team leaders and to use a dated phrase: The foil flippers. What is evil anyway? It's ideology that trumps reasonable and compassionate thought and action. I understand GE was funding a lavish NYC apartment for Mr Welch at least until recently. Despite the fact he's been retired a long time. now. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/06/09: Most of these comments aren't related to job cuts. Shouldn't they be move to the General Comments section? This comments section is for the posting of specific information of Job cuts, Resource Actions and Firings. Specific information. -Internal Accounts are Dead-

Comment 06/06/09: -Former IBMer-: I have seen ruthess behavior and vocal rudeness that is apparently unchecked and overlooked, and would not be tolerated in social groups or society outside IBM. Why are these managers not trained and supervised? I've known a couple of 1st line managers who said that they loved the "Blue" training, but that they're not allowed to practice it. IBM still apparently trains its managers for the IBM of yore. Then, dumps them into the IBM of today, where they quickly see that fear and intimidation are what those above them use to manage, and those are the tools they're given to manage down as well. I've known a few 1st line IBM managers who tried to treat their people with respect and as professional adults. All of them have since been whacked. It seems that the worst a*holes are the ones who survive. -irRational-

Comment 06/06/09: >> LET US FIGHT NOW !!! -Ramki-
Uh huh. Okay. Yeah. Right. Let me know how that turns out for ya.
>> it is that the vast majority of IBMers don't want to do anything to help themselves That's shameful in itself..
Exactly. Of course it is. As I predicted, in a year (maybe sooner) this will all be forgotten. IBM counts on this. They take the cowed fear of the employee to the bank. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/06/09: MOVE or QUIT! Just draw up an employment contract and tell IBM you will move if they sign the contract.
It should have like five years of employment with a golden parachute, just like the big boys.If they no sign you no move. -Vinnie-

Comment 06/06/09: IBMers trying to "keep their head down" doesn't mean they will still have a job. At will employee means you can always be RA'ed. An IBMer has absolutely no job protection. Yes, it is amazing that when they find out about the Alliance they generally ignore or dismiss the subject. I guess that kool-aid they serve is extra strong these days! -anonymous-

Comment 06/06/09: Any totals on the number of people affected by the cuts this past week? This time I am not seeing any number coming out of the packages. The total number of workers (contractors and employees) needs to be continually mentioned and spread throughout the media, for each event as well as the 2009 total. -Gabba Gabba Hey-

Comment 06/06/09: I was always struck by the absolute power that 1st line and 2nd line managers apparently have in IBM, even though they either have no IT skills or are very rusty. I have seen ruthess behavior and vocal rudeness that is apparently unchecked and overlooked, and would not be tolerated in social groups or society outside IBM. Why are these managers not trained and supervised? A few behaved like guards in an Iraq prison IMO, or police in a 3rd world country. -Former IBMer-

Comment 06/06/09: I was RA'd back in 05 but still speak regularly with former co-workers who are still with IBM. Whenever I mention this site and
advise them to take a look and spread the word I'm met with silence or a quick subject change on their part. It's almost as I told them I just saw a UFO or something, they just don't seem to want to hear about it and I believe it's definitely the fear thing mentioned in the previous post. It's lke "right now I still have my job and there's no way I'm jeopardizing it. Too bad because slowly but surely they're time will come. -reply to emotional response post-

Comment 06/06/09: IBM managers are only around now to see the RA's happen. Most have little if any technical skills, little if any IT savvy and
need their staff pets to do their Microsoft Office work. Since they can't do any real IT IBM is forced to keep them as managers. That's pretty pathetic. -anonymous-

Comment 06/06/09: -anon- What does it take for you all to take action? That is what the Alliance has been wrestling with. It is not that the Alliance is a failed union movement: far from it; it is that the vast majority of IBMers don't want to do anything to help themselves That's shameful in itself.. Those folks that want to help that are in the Alliance have to be tired of fighting for those IBMers. Yes, it's shameful that a few hundred IBMers during their lunch hour in Poughkeepsie couldn't have joined in. A showery day was no excuse for not supporting the Alliance. -anon2-

Comment 06/06/09: Earlier in this message board I posted my emotional response to being laid off on June 2nd. Alliance response was something to the effect of "if you have been there for 25 years why are you just now posting?" ...this disturbed me. If you know the corporate environment of the past 15 years you would realize that most of the people left from each cut are filled with fear for their own jobs and therefore as was in my case paralyzed when it came to speaking out or taking a stand. Anyone who knows "the IBM way" also knows that the canned response to any questions about "how is it going" is "great...everything is just great". Most of us would do anything to keep our jobs including selling ourselves out and keeping quiet. Unfortunately that is the case with many including this now laid off employee. There is much that has not been told...and may never be....unless the company goes completely under. Unfortunately my work environment became what defined my own self. Now I am paying the price for that too, -I am stunned-

Comment 06/05/09: Re: By what you have posted here, it appears that you didn't know about Alliance@IBM until you got fired...We've been here 10 years. No disrespect intended, but might this be an indication that Alliance is not effectively advertising its existence? Rather than rely upon Alliance members to assume the risk of publicly recruiting for Alliance, could we perhaps be provided with some tools for anonymously advertising its existence? For example, we could anonymously put up bulletin board flyers that advertise this web site. It does seem to me that a fair number of my co-workers are unaware of Alliance until I bring it up, but while I am willing to discuss Alliance with trusted peers, I am not yet brave enough nor angry enough to start handing out flyers to strangers in the cafeteria. -Flabbergasted-
Alliance reply: Be aware that the IBM bulletin boards are IBM property. You can leave flyers in breakrooms and lunch areas. We can send you some. We have sent thousands of emails to IBMers. The press coverage of the recent cuts and others mentioning the Alliance was massive. We suggest that people write in comments to their local online newspapers every time there is an IBM article and mention the alliance and the web site. If someone doesn't know by now they simply do not know what is happening to the world around them. Some frankly are asleep at the wheel and don't wake up until the tap on the shoulder.

Comment 06/05/09: It is a shame that most people equate unions with auto manufacturers and the piss poor products they have produced over the years. What they fail to understand is it is the people who designed the piss poor products that are at fault for the lack of quality and not the union grunt who bolted the pieces together as designed. More then likely the designers were NOT union. They were probably restricted in what they could spend on innovations and safety by greedy executives who wanted to only do enough to keep getting their large paychecks. Because the worker grunts organized into an effective bargaining unit people see them as an easy place to put the blame for all the companies woes. You hear people question why they have such good retiree benefits but you never really hear how much the executives carried off over the years that cost them just as much or more. The Executives " Parachutes" are a one time outpouring of cash written off in the year they happen so out of sight out of mind where the retirees are an ongoing yearly expense that lingers as long as the retirees do. If the automakers are to be used as an example use them as the positive example that they are. The employees through the union own part of the companies they work for. Protect your job and employ yourself. There is certainly a lesson to be learned there. If only people would understand they cannot win this fight alone. -Exodus2007-

Comment 06/05/09: 16 months ago IBM sold its Network Services Division to AT&T, both IBM and AT&T held hands saying this would be a great thing for both organizations. NOT! Today, the IBM & AT&T relationship is strained and many issues exist regarding scope, costs and other areas. In fact, Price Waterhouse was brought in to mediate between the two orgs to resolve a lot of the issues. Its good to see IBM get a taste of its own outsourcing medicine. I hope IBM's cost case is blown wide open and they pay more for Network Services than when IBM had it. Now you know what customer feel! -Told You So-

Comment 06/05/09: any news about mass? -Anonymous-

Comment 06/05/09: We Americans need to get together it is HighTime we are not together in any thing that is the reason we are like this. We need to fight together and need to tell local congressman and senators and finally to Mr President TOGETHER. If we all together'ly complain to Mr President he will be able to do someting ( Keep in mind we need to do this together ) People out in Brazil, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad are enjoying OUR DOLLARS literally. It is not due to competency we are loosing Jobs, current Administration is not helping much, just telling about changing TAX code and crap. It is High Time we need to do something to save our Children's future in case we are serious of our Childrens future. Also by the time Mr.Obama Administration does something all our Jobs would have been Sailed away from our shores, and there wont be any thing left to talk and discuss. Brazil, China and India are enjoying our $ DOLLARS. All Presidents Tell "GOD help America" it is not GOD He Mr.President and his office need to do something to these greedy corportions to send JOBS out. It is going to be further tough on us and on our childerens the way things are going, We need to wake up Together and Fight Together for our JOBS. JOBS are Primary for Everything !!!! PLEASE TOGETHER LET US COMMUNICATE TO OUR LOCAL CONGRESSMAN / CONGRESSWOMAN and SENATORS OFFICE NOW !!! PLEASE. Thing is even we cant have class action case on these corporations sending Jobs out - very sad. LET US FIGHT NOW !!! -Ramki-

Comment 06/05/09: I saw the article on the rally in Poughkeepsie. It is absolutely shameful that more IBMers and especially those who lost their jobs recently did not come out and support the Alliance. That lack of support hurts the Alliance. If you expect an organization to fight for you then you need to join them. I will say it again. It was shameful that hundreds did not show up. What does it take for you all to take action? -anon-

Comment 06/05/09: If I were already living in Dubuque and had IT skills and experience, I'd work on a farm. There's more bullshit in IBM than on any farm around. IBM has devolved into a third world IT body shop. IBM's managers obviously are out of touch and simply don't understand how to manage IT services and resources to meet customer requirements. The new IBM technician is an inexperienced, unmotivated, unskilled module-monkey, learning at the expense of the customer and posing a critical risk to the business. That's the unfortunate and predictable result of IBM's ignorant, arrogant, non-technical, and greed-centric management. -former IBM customer-

Comment 06/05/09: To RacerX: "Management knows that they get more than their money's worth from those more seasoned employees" LMAO, that's got to be the funniest think on this board this week :>). Keep them coming, laughter is good medicine for all of us here at the ibm sweatshop -RacerXneedTuneup-

Comment 06/05/09: Michael Moore on GM: "And [GM] was hell-bent on punishing its unionized workforce, lopping off thousands of workers for no good reason other than to "improve" the short-term bottom line of the corporation. Beginning in the 1980s, when GM was posting record profits, it moved countless jobs to Mexico and elsewhere, thus destroying the lives of tens of thousands of hard-working Americans. The glaring stupidity of this policy was that, when they eliminated the income of so many middle class families, who did they think was going to be able to afford to buy their cars? History will record this blunder in the same way it now writes about the French building the Maginot Line or how the Romans cluelessly poisoned their own water system with lethal lead in its pipes." -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 06/05/09: But there are so colleges in and around Dubuque. Why do people have these stereotypes about 'farm country'? Many of the people there are quite smart, some are highly educated, and many more would stay in the community if only there were jobs. The quality of living out there, especially if you are raising a family, is quite high and the cost is much lower than in the major metropolitan areas. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/04/09: To RacerX - in an ideal if not brutal world you would be right - necessary cuts would be surgical and well thought through. If you read through these comments since Jan you will see this is far from the case in 2009. Cuts are being made in a haphazard way, primarily of senior experienced people, with no regard to impact on future operations. I was fired in January, left with an excellent new job lined up even in this economy because my skill set is in such demand, and have enjoyed hearing from various executives I used to work with how outraged they were that I was forced out. I am sure that my story is far from unique. I know a number of hugely talented and hardworking 25+ year veterans who were also fired. This is not the IBM I joined - that IBM would never have treated its dedicated and productive workforce in this way. I would never return to IBM under any circumstances. Open your eyes to the new reality - there is a much better world outside with employers who treat their people as assets, not commodities. -anonymous-

Comment 06/04/09: I agree Dubuque was a really stupid choice of location. I imagine it has to do with yet more tax breaks. Iowa thought they could "buy" local IBM jobs with tax dollars because, hey, that worked so freakin' great in NY, didn't it? -ReapWhatYouSow-

Comment 06/04/09: >> Has anyone who has been told to report to XXXXX or you will have been voluntarily resigned did what the folks here have suggested? Do not show up and do not voluntarily resign? Make IBM fire you?
Probably not yet. Remember the rankings of the 1990s? I know one poor sod who was ranked in the bottom percentile (arbitrarily of course, he didn't suck up to management), and was told he could either go work in Vermont on third shift or he would be moved to Grubb & Ellis. G&E fired him, of course, that was the plan all along. He went quietly and was fired quietly. It was a different company then, and employees did as they were told. Anyone being told to do XX or be voluntarily resigned should not go quietly anymore. Of course, this takes courage but again, what does
one have to lose with the new IBM? Exactly, nothing. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/04/09: - IBM is having problems staffing the GDC in Iowa.-
haha, no kdding. Who wants to live in the middle of farm country with an IT job? If you lose your job at the GDF (and based on the rumors, it sounds like anybody making more than band 7 money will eventually) there is NOTHING there. Dubuque was a horrible selection for IBM. If IBM has any brains, they would have put these GDFs in major university towns. They would have college grads to staff from on a yearly basis and be able to pay them complete crap since they have no experience fresh out of college. But yeah, let's put one in farm country and wonder why we can't staff it. DUH -anonymous-

Comment 06/04/09: My understanding about rolling over vacation to the next year is that it is 'unofficial' and strictly up to your manager. You can get screwed out of this time if you get a new manager (seen that happen) or your manager just changes his mind. I always thought people who did this were fools. I\'ve even seen people give up vacation time because the job was so freaking important. Biggest fools ever. -anon-

Comment 06/04/09: Regarding Mel B's situation, I was just wondering about something. Has anyone who has been told to report to XXXXX or you will have been voluntarily resigned did what the folks here have suggested? Do not show up and do not voluntarily resign? Make IBM fire you? I'm just curious if anyone has already taken this path, and if so, what happened. Good luck to all who are still lingering at big blow. -Mistressofthei5-

Comment 06/04/09: Was it 15 or 20 at the rally? Sorry to say it but it's about time to turn off the lights and pack it in. No I was not there, but I've been out of big blew for a couple years now and don't work in IT anymore. Still routing for you guys, but at this point it's time to pack it in. -wednesday_rally-
Alliance reply: As long as there are IBM employees and Alliance members we will keep fighting.

Comment 06/04/09: >>10 key employees resigning will have a far greater impact than 100 who have been RA'ed.

Work in corporate, do you? This is a lie, since the Nazis are not keeping the key employees. But you already knew that.

>>Management knows that they get more than their money's worth from those more seasoned employees.

Another lie. The Nazis have not kept the seasoned employees, they have FIRED them. That's right, they didn't (such a cute harmless acronym) 'RA' them, they FIRED them. To anyone reading: DO NOT RESIGN.

>>You keep reminding everyone that we are AT WILL EMPLOYEES but then go on to talk about not quitting but waiting for them to RA you to get a severance. Guess what.... as an AT WILL EMPLOYEE you have no right to severance.
That's correct, but as an AT WILL EMPLOYEE, the current employee can UNIONIZE while they are waiting to be fired. Once they are fired, if not for cause, then they can get some form of severance. But you already know that, you've read all the HR documents. Just the fact that you speak of firings as 'RAs' shows you are corporate. Repeat: don't quit, don't resign, make the Nazis fire you and give you a severance. It's encouraging to see corporate apologists try to spin on this board. Obviously, the Alliance is having an effect. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/04/09: Curious - If you willing resign from IBM do you receive you unused vacation time paid out? Also, I was not able to utilize any vacation time last year as I was on 24x7 support of an account -- manager was supposed to roll that time forward to this year, but didn't. He said it is at his discretion if I required more this year. Is this him lying? Anything that can be done about this? -Anon-

Comment 06/04/09: Armonk, NY. Dec.,2009 (CNN) - IBM Corp. reported today that they would not be releasing end of year financial results. A spokesman said, "We know we made a boatload of money, because we dumped all our expensive US workforce, but unfortunately we are unable to access any of our financial systems to provide actual figures, as they are not working at this time. Trust us, we're rich. We can tell by the size of our bonuses. We hope to have our new paper and pencil system working soon, as we have a crack staff of cheap, untrained labor figuring out how to use this new breakthrough technology." -anon-

Comment 06/04/09: 20 to 30 peole have been let go in Endicott. Jobs related to Travel/Relocation Accounting. All jobs sent to either Argentina or Manilla. All of our area , including Payroll , will be overseas by next year this time. -wes-

Comment 06/04/09: -I have heard rumblings that IBM plans for the GDF relocation is to try to force those workers not able to relocate to quit to save on paying any severance. - That's an expensive way to get workers to quit. The GDF concept has been in place for quite some time now. The GDF is a major cost cutting measure for IBM. From a previous post, the highest band level in a GDF will be 7, and those will be minimal. IBM is doing what they think is right by offering you to keep your job in a GDF. I doubt IBM has the forward looking capacity to say "if we create these GDFs and staff them with local employees, anybody remote that doesn't want to go can suck it and quit". IBM thinks about today, not tomorrow. This is obvious by pushing all work offshore and to low-skilled GDFs. IBM will be paying up the ass in the next 1-3 years for missed SLAs and clients will be dropping IBM as their provider of service. -anonymous-

Comment 06/04/09: I can't stress enough how important it is to get another job, even if you believe yours is safe. It seems like the IT industry is starting to pick back up in the US (if you're not IBM of course), simply from the # of calls I've been getting. I just found a new job (put in my 2 weeks tomorrow), and I can not tell you the relief I feel, especially since I am 99% positive I'm slated for an RA in a month or two. In dealing with this new company, I forgot how nice it can be to work for a real company. I've been beaten down by IBM for so long I grossly undervalued myself. This new company has turned all that around and made me realize what a bad situation I was in. I do feel IBM needs a union, but at this point it may be too late for that. I would still press ahead with unionizing, but for your own good, get your name out there and look to leave IBM. There is a real world out there, and it is much brighter if you are not shrouded by the cloud of IBM. -How do you say goodbye in Indian?-

Comment 06/04/09: IBM is having problems staffing the GDC in Iowa. If you look at the job postings you'll notice the opening date has been pushed out from June to November/December. They are also paying M&L for upper bands for some of the required skills. You can be sure even if you decide to go, and you get the M&L, IBM will be constantly looking for cheaper labor, so if you go there, beware! Once they find someone to replace you at a cheaper rate, you're toast. (or, you might be asked to continue your employment at a lower pay rate,. Is this something you are willing to do?) Think about it. -dun-4-

Comment 06/04/09: To Mel B: I can't believe that your mgr told you to accept then not show up for the first day. What a scumbag. He is trying to get you fired 'for cause'. You won't be eligible for unemployment if IBM fires you for cause. Don't listen to him! Don't resign either. Hang on to the bitter end, keep stringing them along by telling mgmt you are still thinking about it. Then at the last moment, when THEY ask you about your choice, tell them you cannot go. ABOVE all else, DO NOT say anything else to them, Do not tell them you resign, do not sign anything. Let them do what they must, but you will walk away with some sort of severance pkg, and be able to collect unemployment if they are they ones who terminate you. -hey-joe-what-do-you-know-

Comment 06/04/09: >>Please start making plans to leave... NOW.
-Macabby-, good post but I respectfully disagree. This is doing exactly what IBM wants you to do. My advice, IF the person can do it, is to stick it out. Make alternative plans, absolutely -- keep the resume up to date, keep the skills up to date, and the like -- but leave without a severance? Why? Management is desperate to kick out everyone over 50 with 30 years, or perhaps over 40, so let THEM do the kicking out. It's stressful, and demoralizing, and demeaning, to listen to moronic management talk about 'visibility' and 'not doing enough', but ignore them. Do your job to the best of your ability, play the game if you like, ignore the moronic management if you so choose, and wait for them to fire you. Trust me, it WILL happen. There is no more respect for the individual or the work they do, the only employees still valued are those who suck up -- watch out for the team leaders who act as hatchet men for moronic managers -- so if you don't suck up, big time, you're gone. The moral is, based on my experience -- keep your skills up to date, do your job, and expect to be fired, but not until you've been humiliated, threatened and demoralized, especially when it comes to training an underskilled replacement. Oh, and most importantly of all? UNIONIZE! NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/04/09: Even though it was a cloudy day with some showers in Poughkeepsie around midday lunch hour time, at least these folks (current IBMers, RA'ed IBMers, retired IBMers, supporters, legislators) care about keeping USA IBM jobs where they are:

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20090604/BUSINESS01/906040336/Protesters++Stop+sending+ -keepUSAjobs-

Comment 06/04/09: I have heard rumblings that IBM plans for the GDF relocation is to try to force those workers not able to relocate to quit to save on paying any severance. There might be severance they will pay out to some but they don't want to pay it for all. -anonymous-

Comment 06/04/09:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/04/bt_tech_mahindra/

BT slammed for 'importing' cheap Indian contractors On-site offshoring:
BT has been accused of laying off expensive UK contractors and replacing them with Indian staff. Workers brought in using intra-company transfers are replacing contractors for about half the price, a contractor told BBC Radio 4. According to a contractor working for BT Global Services on the National Programme for IT - the NHS project, workers from TechMahindra, earn about ?220 a day, versus ?400 a day for a UK contractors. The contractor told the BBC's File on 4 it was a cost-cutting move. He said he'd got the figures from his line manager. BT told the programme that it was looking to cut its dependence on expensive contractors and that anyone brought in from India was a specialist; intra-company transfers are meant to be for people with skills not available from the British workforce. It said it had not replaced any permanent staff with Indian staff.
-Sahib Sam-

Comment 06/04/09: >>My manager told me basically the same thing, except he used the terminology, you will be forced to "involuntarily resign".

Do you have this in writing? Escalate it to Sammy boy if you have to. What do you have to lose? Alliance is right, do NOT resign. MAKE them fire you. What do you have to lose? What could they POSSIBLY threaten you with at this point?

>>He also suggested that I play the game
Oh really? Why, hasn't IBM 'played' the game they committed to decades ago?

>>to accept and then not show-up for my first day of work.
Right, and give them the ability to fire you for cause and deny you, your unemployment. Do NOT do this. Remember, this is NOT the IBM you hired on with, it is a company none of us recognize anymore. Do NOT behave with them as you would with the old IBM. Hire a lawyer if you can afford one. Keep us posted.
Hey everyone else, you reading here? I found out yesterday that even good do-bee IBMers read here, probably just to report back to upper
managerment. There's still time to unionize, think about it. You WILL be screwed, first chance IBM gets. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/03/09: I have monitored this post since I quit IBM in October of last year. There are still many people that I care about that have been left behind. Please start making plans to leave... NOW. There is no future at this company or any other technology company. Use your programming and technical skills to land a position in a non-traditional specialized IT field. Find a company that needs someone to do data analysis, user support, and technological advice. Find a small company or a position with your current client. Positions that are labeled as strictly data processing are leaving this country and will not return. It does not matter what company you are talking about. Perception has become reality. Your skills will no longer be recognized, your positions no longer valued, and as a result your compensation will be comparable to a manager trainee at McDonald's. If you are not axed now, you soon will be. You are competing against H1B visas, corporate earnings, and clueless leadership. Talent and demonstrated accomplishments no longer matter in this industry. Especially if you have reached a certain age and income level. If you are over 40 with a decent income level, you are as good as gone. Quit waiting andstressing over the inevitable and do something to help yourselves. There are many positions that pay more than you are making now that are run by decent people with names you can both pronounce and spell. Start looking and ignore all of the negative information you hear on the news and read in the press. Get off your butts and get to it. Stop complaining and realize the INDUSTRY has changed. Technology skills are still needed and valued. Just not in the places that you are accustomed to looking in. Stop being comfortable and thinking it won't happen to me. It's already happened. You just haven't recognized it yet. -Macabby-

Comment 06/03/09: To Mel B. My manager told me basically the same thing, except he used the terminology, you will be forced to "involuntarily resign". He also suggested that I play the game and when given a start date for my new GDF location, to accept and then not show-up for my first day of work. I believe if I did this, I would be fired and therefore, not be eligible for unemployment benefits. Is anyone else going through this? I am being forced to go to a job site in a different city and my commute will be 1.5 to 2 hours one way. -To Mel B-
Alliance Reply: What do you lose if you tell them you WILL NOT 'involuntarily resign'? Don't be a fool for IBM. Refuse to "play the game". Your bound to lose if you choose to play. Force them to fire you.

Comment 06/03/09: Rocky: anyone hear of more layoffs coming in canada for sales? I need to know eather to start looking out there
Of course you should be looking. Either that, or trying to unionize to try to get some leverage and a contract. We all should be doing one of those two .-irRational-

Comment 06/03/09: It is shocking the info that was stated about the band break down in the GDF. My dept is there and most of the IBMers (we have a few contractors) are Band 8 or 9. I know at least one person who would probably respond to be lowered to a band 7 by retiring. -in the GDF-

Comment 06/03/09: Was part of the 'resource action' in February. Had been in Administration for the last 29 years, 9 months. Looking for a job. Don't have the credentials to land an administrative job. Unfortunately working for IBM for 29 years and 9 months is now a hindrance in finding a job. I was always so proud to be working for IBM, not any longer. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/03/09: Got RA'ed today from S and C, GBS -RAed-

Comment 06/03/09: Patriotism at its best... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amBiYGyHOkZ8 -Counting the days-

Comment 06/03/09: anyone hear of more layoffs coming in canada for sales? I need to know eather to start looking out there -Rocky-

Comment 06/03/09: To -MelB-: Agreed. If you decline to relocate, you are in no way "resigning voluntarily". Looks like they're trying to get out of paying unemployment. -CDI_drone-

Comment 06/03/09: There continue to be job cuts in Rational Software Group in RTP, NC. If you don't have the utilization of up front customer face time, you are at risk. Even more so if you are over 45, IBM wants to get rid of you. Rational is not doing well and mgmt are frantic to get the spread sheets looking better by dumping older employees. No more Mr Nice Guy, i.e. no more 6 months, you only get 3 months severance at best now. -Glad2BGone-

Comment 06/03/09: I heard that SWG layoffs - RTP will happen next week. Not wholesale cuts by by 5/10 per area. -dilbert-

Comment 06/03/09: This is the text I wrote in my appeal to the Dept of Labor regarding denial of the COBRA subsidy.
Text in the Comments paragraph:
The subsidy is denied to anyone who has COBRA and who also has access to any other plan. I was bridged to retirement at age 62 and I have access to the IBM retiree FHA health plan. The problem is that the FHA plan is about twice as expensive as the COBRA plan. To be denied the subsidy in this case severely violates the spirit of the subsidy, which is to reduce the COBRA premium for those who lost their job in this very bad economy. Because the FHA plan is so expensive, I am keeping the COBRA health plan - but I have to pay 100% of the COBRA premium. (I did not say anything about IBM's TMP benefit for the medical part of the COBRA benefit). The rule should be changed - if a person has access to another plan, they must take the plan with the least cost in order to be eligible for the subsidy. -anonymous-

Comment 06/03/09: Does anyone know what organizations or job categories are being targeted for the GDF centers? I'm in Global Business Services (div. 5) and I have not heard about GDFs. (which stand for???) (please don't use Acronyms - it's hard to figure out areas that way-tks!)
-anon-

Comment 06/03/09: Based on the spreadsheet that was printed off at my location, the GDF EFK location is targeting first line managers to be Band 7 - BAND FREAKING 7 for a first line manager. This Band also includes those with over 4 years of experience.
A "Level 2" employee (one that has between 1 and 4 years experience)
has this breakdown for staffing:
10% Band 4
80% Band 5
10% Band 6
Level 1 (those with less than 1 year experience)
50% Band 3
50% Band 4
Also included in this printout were required courses to take for those working in the EFK GDF. Looks like all education dollars are going towards educating GDF employees -anonymous-

Comment 06/03/09: Any other rumors regarding layoffs in RTP? Heard that June was another round of hits -Anonymously-

Comment 06/03/09: Google Wave: Why it's so good and [IBM] enterprise software is so bad:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10253223-16.html -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 06/03/09: True Financial Conditions at IBM appear more dismal than is publicized! IBM EFK STG is quietly cutting legacy contractor/vendor business just for the immediate savings and justafiable business reason is offered! We are among the staffing NUMBERS IBM USES TO GET TAX BENEFITS FROM NYS! These types of business decisions should be counted amongst the WARN notices and "sporatic" employee layoffs. IBM employees should know that tracking these kinds of "savings" will show where RA's logically will be targeted in the future. We work along IBM employees every day and see our associates and friends leave and not come back to the line. We knew it was just a matter of time they would get around to us too. Good Luck to all. Looks like we are going to need it. How desperate are they? -IBM Contractors Gone!-

Comment 06/03/09: Yes, it's true. Forget about looking for a job internally. Although it can't be proven, IBM managers have been told not to consider candidates that have been RA'd because they can find a newbie or contractor to do the job for less. The hiring manager doesn't want to go through the hassle of trying to convince his/her boss that an RA'd employee is a perfect match for the job. -Forget It-

Comment 06/03/09: Based on my own personal experience, don't waste your time looking for a job within IBM. I could not even get a mgr to talk to me. Use the time to look outside. -goodtobegone-

Comment 06/03/09: I have declined to relocate to a GDF Co-location. I was informed by my manager that I will be required to "voluntarily resign" and give a two weeks notice. There will not be any severance pay if you decline to move to one of the three U.S. GDF sites (Boulder, CO, Dubuque, Iowa or Fishkill, NY. -MelB-
Alliance Reply: What do you lose if you tell them you WILL NOT 'voluntarily resign' ???
Force them to fire you. They'll need to come up with a reason...and it won't be "the employee refused to quit". They can't fire you for refusing to quit. Don't make it easy for IBM.

Comment 06/03/09: I am in POK according to my "list" aproximately 700 were tapped June 1. We have 30 days to find work. The severance package is like Greek to read through..and the "Job Opportunity Market" tool is very convoluted . It takes like 15 minutes to apply for a job. I worked there 25 years. I had a great appraisal. I was respected by my peers and customers. -I am stunned-
Alliance Reply: We are sorry for your job loss. By what you have posted here, it appears that you didn't know about Alliance@IBM until you got fired. Is that true? If you did know; may I ask why you didn't try to organize before this? We've been here 10 years. You were at IBM 25 years... Just curious, no disrespect intended.

Comment 06/03/09: Take Time program just announced for SWG... Yea right, take some more time off when a lot of the project GA dates I am aware of are already at risk.... This place is being run into the ground by our execs.. Got to make those earnings numbers for next quarter... Looking more and more like GM, Chrysler and Enron every day. -Gettin Hosed-

Comment 06/03/09: Let's see: IBM has taken about $45,000,000 from a NY state economic grant with the promise to grow jobs in the state and has to file a WARN Act statement of letting go of ONE worker in East Fishkill, NY: LINK
IBM is not telling how many jobs they have added over the number they have reported due to WARN. So how is IBM growing jobs in NY state? Furthermore, to let go of one worker due to economic reasons is absurd. IBM made RECORD profits in 2008 and has been making decent profits and revenues this year. So were is the economic reason? -anonymous-

Comment 06/03/09: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Work-Visa-Bill-Threatens-bizwk-15423373.html?.v=1
Even the threat of legislation to address H1B and L1 visa's is causing hiring in the US. -Marbles-

Comment 06/03/09: To all people . YOU WILL GET A BETTER JOB THAN IBM -Black thursday-

Comment 06/03/09: I will be there 1230. Look for a large american flag on a Pontiac Minivan -Anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: IBM's current business mantra " A diarrhea of ignorance wrapped in a constipation of bureaucracy" that pretty much sums it up -Anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: The GDF rumors are running rampant. I know one person who has been given notice, a work-from-home employee. In the next few months all work-at-home employees will be either relocated to a GDF or released... with no severance when the final few rounds hit. -Terminally IAM-

Comment 06/02/09: There have been firings the past couple of days in Rational Development, Software Group in RTP, NC. Rumor is over 5% are currently targeted for extermination. Nothing posted on NC Warn, so this is more stealth, flying under the radar tactic which ibm has become very expert. Too bad ibm doesn't make the same quality engineering effort in the products we make. -SWGcutsNOW-

Comment 06/02/09: I am so sorry to hear about the layoffs. My prayers are with everyone who was affected. Does anyone know what is going on with the 30 year ibm 'vetrans'. I am hearing they are being pushed into retirement. Are they included in this round of layoffs? -hey-joe-what-do-you-know-

Comment 06/02/09: In East Fishkill NY Former IBM workers than Micro Electronics. going to Phillips and Now NXP are going to be laid-off. Starting in waves of ~200 per week before they get their quota of roughly 600 unemployed workers. Remember most were former IBM employees that were forced into being becoming a vendor with no choice of their own and now the company is closing the doors. -Set - Up-

Comment 06/02/09: Regarding GDF relocation: There will be no severance pay if you decide not to relocate to one of the three U.S. Co-locations. If you decline to relocate, you will be asked to "involuntarily resign" and give a two week notice. -melb-

Comment 06/02/09: Archive post from 03/16/07 Good Luck to all you Lexington folks: Comment 03/16/07: 10 Lexington DSM Ops Contractors let go so far this year. 24 FTE slated to erode in 2007 with no plans to backfill--all new work taken off shore or to Boulder. That takes Lex DSM head count from ~50 to ~20 by 3Q07. THEN, when the WellPoint account goes GR, Lex Ops will lose another 10 FTE. Local Management trying to salvage some jobs by growing the Duty Manager pool, but the whole recovery management process is unsustainable and will be eliminated once Joanne Collins-Smee realizes it (via LEAN). ALSO, >10 IBM Regulars (Internal Support, supporting Interlock Databases, Project Office, etc) placed on Redploy List in RTP. I understand Operations in POK has about closed their doors. Ms Smee has been brought in to speed the reduction of Larry Longseth's organization (Hachet woman after McDonald's heart!) Time for everyone to pull the covers off and tell what you know, so good decent people can make informed decisions about their lives and livelihoods. As Jeff Miller said to his management team the end of 2006; "might be time for a gut check!" Save your money, and always remember what Sam Palmisano told us 2 years ago: Right Skills, Right Place, Right Time. That means stand it up off shore, then stand it down state side. Good Luck All. -Former IBM 1st Line- -Anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: Comment from Archive for all you Lexington folks: Comment 08/14/08: Heard today that Jeff Miller (Operations Director),
announced to his mangers (Nichole and Helene) that he plans to close the Southbury and Poughkeepise command centers by early next year, if not sooner. This includes mainframe, iseries, distributed and ebus. Jeff then plans to proceed to quickly close all operations in Lexington and RTP. He has already moved close to 700 jobs to Brazil, India and other locations outside of the US. He has now told Nichole that this number is falling short of Joann Colin-Smee’s target and he has told his managers that 70 more jobs will need to be sent global by year end. UNREAL! -Buckleup- -Anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: Lexington Kentucky being decimated as we speak. They will move us to IA at current pay, then within a year cut our pay 20%. Bank on it. -Lexington-

Comment 06/02/09: Got notified yesterday, at least 4 that I know of from our group. -JobSearcher-

Comment 06/02/09: I was RAed earlier this year, and found another job very quickly. I have been receiving more and more emails to my resume address lately that are for contractor positions at IBM. They are obviously not reading the resumes of the people to whom they blast out these blanket emails, or they would see that I have just left IBM... but what is interesting is that they are trying to urgently fill these contract openings in IA, CO, CA, and other states for the same types of positions that they are actively firing people from as well. It is definitely NOT the case that the economy is hurting IBM. It is also NOT the case that they need to rebalance the workforce based upon skills if they are firing people while actively hiring contractors to do the exact same types of work. This company had a magnificent profit in 2008. They are forecasting incredible earnings for 2009. They increased the dividend to their shareholders. But they are adding to the high unemployment level in the USA, firing the workers that produced the profits while bringing in contractors through the backdoor. This is without even mentioning the offshoring of work to other countries. -Pork Chop-

Comment 06/02/09: SWG Rational in Lexington, Ma - Lost our Rational Licensing support group today. Not sure how many folks were RA'ed, maybe around 10, but their jobs are going to India. The rest of us in Rational Support are wondering when it will be our turn. -anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: To -MyTurn- what department and/or division? Just what was your job function that went to India? I'm just trying to determine which area(s) are getting hit. ITD is pretty large. -anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: In New York IBM filed a WARN for June 1st for IBM East Fishkill. One employee. Departing on 8/31/2009. -Internal Accounts are Dead-

Comment 06/02/09: Will the last US person in IBM please turn out the lights on your way out? -Hegedus-

Comment 06/02/09: >>Job went to India. -MyTurn-
-MyTurn-, were you threatened under pain of severance/no severance to train your replacement?

>>Either IBM will improve the employee situation, or they will fail -Anonymous-

Good for you that you found a new job. No, they're not going to improve the employee situation, they don't have to, and no, they won't fail. Sam and the Board won't allow failure. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/02/09: "Get_Noticed- Are you going to be there with us? We need supporters to show up for it since as you know the press loves to see people in numbers. -Alliancemember-" If I could I would love to be there, but I have to "work" at my new company. While the new place does not have a union, they are a small family oriented company, 100 people or so, and know how to treat the employees. No complaints, better pay, real bonuses, extra time off around holidays. Most of all no threats of layoffs. No offshoring here. Good luck to you all. -Get_Noticed-

Comment 06/02/09: RA'd today, should receive package info soon. ITD. Job went to India. -MyTurn-

Comment 06/02/09: I started with IBM in 1998. Since then the company has changed for the worse. I don't agree with IBMs current business practices, and secretive layoffs. I chose to 'vote with my feet', and resigned. I found another job. It's IBMs loss (they've said as much to me). If you're not happy, leave the company. Either IBM will improve the employee situation, or they will fail. It's as simple as that -Anonymous-

Comment 06/02/09: To -NextToGo-: While it may seem like a bad thing at the moment, once you find a new job you will wonder how you survived at this horrible company. PBC ratings mean nothing, never did. It felt like the end of the world to me and the panic set in but within a few months I was working closer to home for more money, no stress, no pager, no on call, no overtime for free. Things happen for a reason. Keep your chin up. -Gone_in_07-

Comment 06/02/09: -Get_Noticed- Are you going to be there with us? We need supporters to show up for it since as you know the press loves to see people in numbers. -Alliancemember-

Comment 06/02/09: Duty managers got the ax. jobs went to India. July 1 I am out of here. At least 5 duty managers got cut. -30 days and Gone-

Comment 06/02/09: >>get some media attention or it won't even be worth the effort. -Get_Noticed-
10K employees have been fired since January. See any media attention?
>>I have 30 days to find a job. -NextToGo-,
You won't find a job. They make sure you won't find a job. Are you being threatened to train your replacement? Good luck to you. -anonymouse-

Comment 06/02/09: how about STG layoff? Is it also in June? What happened to the layoff notices on 5/26, did anyone get notice last week in cali? -cali anonymus-

Comment 06/01/09: Believe it was a list being created for another upcoming resource action. My 'manager' told me in december 08 that '{place name here} says our team is 'safe' '. I knew then that {he or she} was lying, incompetent, ignorant, or all three. A large portion of our team was notified of the resource action in January. I believe {he or she} was actually lying, based on other changes to team assignments during late 4Q 08. -believe it-

Comment 06/01/09: I was RA'd today. I have 30 days to find a job. 2+ rating forever, job is going to Brazil. -NextToGo-

Comment 06/01/09: re the nc esc, you don't have to take a class every week to get unemployment, the unbelievable (but confirmed) part is that you only have to take one class to start the benefits, no reqt to continue each week. You are eligible to collect after the 1 week waiting period - even if you registered for a class that starts 3 mos. down the road, just take your registration down to the esc for their records, some don't even ask for that. Online courses also count. -nc employee-

Comment 06/01/09: Anyone heard if there is going to be another round of layoffs this month? A friend of mine went to work in India...man....he regrets it big time. IBM is offering one way tickets to people to work in India and make a lower salary. -McLoven-

Comment 06/01/09: No comments about RAs today? I know there were folks notified, at least one in SSO. -LowlySDM-

Comment 06/01/09: no layoff news today? i know of one SDM in IGS that was given the 30 day notice today but hadn't heard of anyone else. -curious-
Alliance reply: We have received 2 comments and 1 email in regards job cuts today. Anyone who has a RA package for today please email to ibmunionalliance@gmail.com We do not know any numbers yet.

Comment 06/01/09: June 1 cuts are happening in ITG, and I got selected. From the tool provided on this site, it appears 3000+ are being let go. -anonymous-

Comment 06/01/09: Make sure you tell the local news media about your action day on Wednesday and get some media attention or it won't even be worth the effort. -Get_Noticed-

Comment 06/01/09: Heard from a good source that an across the board (all divisions) "list" is being prepared, locked and loaded for an end of June execution -ManyMoreToFall-

Comment 06/01/09: Here is the future in software group. All coding and testing jobs will be sent overseas and managers will stay in the US. That way US upper management can keep track of the work via US managers, while those frontline managers deal with con calls during the night with their employees and con call during the day with upper management. If you want to stay at IBM, become a manager ASAP. -Iseethefuture-

Comment 06/01/09: >>But it might just be that IBM will shear and kill off the approx. 100,000 USA sheeple soon (by offshoring all the jobs). -bahbahbah- Or declaring bankruptcy. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31030038/ Can't you just see der Führer salivating over the potential pension and medical savings from all the retirees out there? I wonder if the employees/retirees will rise up then? Naaaaaaaaah. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/31/09: >>Alliance Reply: Fear Fear Fear.
Quite right. Ponder this:
"The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live, and fear breeds repression."
The IBM employee has been repressed since 1999, at least, and is more fearful than ever before. The speaker of the quote was Adlai Stevenson, the year was 1952. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/31/09: Was anything reported on this year's shareholder meeting? I didn't see word one. Was anyone allowed by der Führer to stand up and talk about the 10K IBMers fired since January? Why am I guessing no one was so allowed. Was the very brave gentleman there again and did he ask der Führer how he would get by on $20K a DAY while 10K employees were fired and their lives ruined? Why am I guessing he was not so allowed. And still people talk about the sheeple, who walk around thinking 'not me', 'not my job', being brave and unionizing.
Nota Bene: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/31/09: Three workers sue IBM Japan over forced retirement... So why not a class action suit here?
'cause the average USA IBMer is a scared sheep (who also don't know how to flock). They do nothing to try to better their plight. Until the Alliance membership grows substantially this will be the case. But it might just be that IBM will shear and kill off the approx. 100,000 USA sheeple soon (by offshoring all the jobs). -bahbahbah-

Comment 05/30/09: Question on appeal to DoL on denial of COBRA subsidy - can you give me a little more help on an appeal. I am 61 and was within a year to age 62 so I received the bridge to retirement. I had to sign a form for this bridge along with the severance form that all laid off people sign. This bridge to retirement links me to the FHA plan. The FHA plan is another plan I have access to, and is the reason the subsidy was denied me. The DoL rule for the subsidy says you do not get the subsidy if you have access to any other plan. This is true per IBM even though I am not getting the FHA plan but under COBRA I get the plan in effect when I left IBM. -anonymous-

Comment 05/30/09: To my Alliance Reply - FEAR is right. Have you ever spoken to a female who complained about sexual harassment and discrimination? Retaliation is also covered under Federal Law - but IBM has their routine and script down. Word up ladies - don't do it unless you have PICTURES, WITNESSES, or really strong PROOF. Otherwise, don't come forward. They don't tell you that on the intranet do they? And the Open Door (or whatever they call it today) - they'll thank you and make it sound like it was your fault, then punish the managers "behind the scenes". You will never know and you'll never get the justice you expected - only the label that you Open Doored that will follow you everywhere. Been there, done that, bought the T shirt. Might write a book - who wants to join me? We didn't sign away the right to write on the RA forms did we? -gotta-b-invisible-
Alliance Reply: Did you ever talk to an attorney? We have been told about the sexual harrassment and discrimination, in the past. It doesn't get addressed by IBM like it should. We agree, that it is not acceptable for a company to gloss over the issue and 'punish the managers "behind the scenes".'
Contact Us and provide your email. We want to hear your story. It will be strictly confidential.

Comment 05/30/09: Article on Huffington Post on offshoring : We're bailing out the economy boat desperately with stimulation, but the financial leadership opposes plugging the hole in the hull from offshoring.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-ernest-frederick-hollings/lesson-learned_b_209165.html -KC The Super DOG-

Comment 05/30/09: >>Wow! Look at this. Three workers sue IBM Japan over forced retirement... Good for them. So why not a class action suit here? -anonymouse-

Comment 05/30/09: Link below didn't work for me. Here's the actual Application for Review of Denial of COBRA Premium Reduction:
https://www.askebsa.dol.gov/COBRA/?submit=Online+Application+%3E%3E -anonymous-

Comment 05/30/09: >>Yes, what is it going to take?
Good question. Since the screwing of 1999 brought no reaction from IBM employees, my guess is nothing.
>> If IBMers don't hang together. Sad part is, since the screwings of 2009, the answer is they won't. Ever.-anonymouse-

Comment 05/30/09: Wow! Look at this. Three workers sue IBM Japan over forced retirement.... -annonymous-
Here they go again, forced retirement. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/news/20090530p2a00m0na012000c.html
Ich Bin Muede -Anonymous-

Comment 05/30/09: It looks like there is a no-renewal policy for contractors in the Vancouver area. Seems to fit in with the talk about contractors on this comment board. -west coast canada-

Comment 05/30/09: We're starting to see a lot of folks with over 30 years of company time leaving ITD. Supposedly, IBM is offering this targeted group some sort of package to leave. Does anyone have any details? Is this basically a 'forced' retirement, where the pkg is just the same as any other RA package? Or are they getting a different package? -miss understanding-

Comment 05/29/09: >> Comment 05/28/09: Another good article on corporate ethics & warning signals. "High earning expectation is a potential “warning sign” as more often than not it leads to accounting irregularities that may result in “abusive earnings management.” Revenues that consistently match the analysts’ expectations should ring an alarm in the minds of the auditors and stakeholders. "
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/4609/are-we-ignoring-warnings-corporate.html -annonymous-

From http://www.auditintegrity.net/public/summary.ai?ticker=ibm: International Business Machines Corp. is currently rated as having Very Aggressive Accounting & Governance Risk (AGR), receiving an AGR Score of 13 out of a possible 100. This places them in the 3rd percentile among all companies, indicating higher accounting and governance risk than 97% of companies. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: Responding to the question on how to file an appeal if you have been denied the 65% COBRA Subsidy. Go to www.dol.gov/cobra and you will see the 'bullet' point for Cobra Claim Denials on the landing page in the left column. Fill out the form and carefully respond to all questions. At the end of the application you will be required to indicate the reasons you were excluded from this Cobra Subsidy. If you have any documentation attach that. All I had was the conversations with the IBM ESC which I specified and that I was specifically advised that I am not eligible. And furthermore, I indicated that IBM considered me a retiree even though I was RA'd and the loophole that IBM has used to deny my participation: Age + years of service. Further stating that I am not a retiree, I was permanently laid off and at no time was I provided with an information package as required to be sent out to all on 4/18/2009 detailing the Subsidy program. -anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: See Huffington Post article on "New Tactics Emerge in Campaign to Pass the Employee Free Choice Act"...
don't forget to comment but keep it clean, on point, etc. per the "rules":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-acuff/new-tactics-emerge-in-cam_b_209251.html -KC The Super DOG-

Comment 05/29/09: You all think the current IBM employees don't want a union. I don't think that's true. I just don't think they know exactly HOW to start a union - and that includes staying anonymous UNTIL that union is formed and they have protection. This website targets a few sites in the NY area - the rest of the people have no clue what to do. Can you post a page or otherwise send us info on the "bigger plan" ? Like exactly what is needed at each site (if it's site driven), who the leaders are at each site (or if you 1st need a leader at each site, and that is the problem), and what the 3-5 year plan is. If the answer is spelled out here on Alliance then it needs to be updated; because I can't quite figure it out. If it's # of people who join this website - I'd guess more than 50% of current employees don't even know about this website. You almost have to plan a "blitzkreig" with a massive email and advertising campaign. -gotta-b-invisible-
Alliance Reply: ok. Let me address your points 1) "Staying anonymous until they have protection." If a member wants to stay anonymous, that's their right and we respect it; However, if no one they work with knows about the anonymous Alliance membership, then they also won't know about Alliance. Our members need to organize, inside the company. Once they have made themselves public about their Alliance membership and their intentions to organize; they are protected by the their right to organize, under Federal Law. Are there risks? Sure. But, playing it 'safe' until it's ok to come out will not get you anywhere. 2) Alliance@IBM is already formed. We already have members inside IBM. Those members need to step up their organizing, and yes, let their co-workers know that they NEED a union contract. There isn't any other process that will work better than that. 3) There is no 'bigger plan' than organizing in ALL IBM US locations. 4) We will not broadcast the 'leaders' names at each site. See answer #1. 5) We have repeatedly done "'blitzkreigs' with a massive email". We have been on CNN, local and national Newspapers, the internet media; and we have held demonstrations and pickets. We have appeared at IBM stockhoder meetings nearly EVERY year since 2000. Your guess about 50% not knowing about us may be incorrect. The major issue that you indirectly pointed to is "FEAR". That is the reason you don't hear about Alliance@IBM in your workplace. Fear Fear Fear. If you are afraid and you won't talk to your co-workers about Alliance (obviously you know about us) then how do you expect to make any progress growing the member numbers and raising your voice to IBM? Nothing will change for your benefit, until you change it.

Comment 05/29/09: Regarding unemployment benefits in NC if you have received severance pay... here is the Q&A from the NC ESC FAQ: http://www.ncesc1.com/individual/FAQs/faqMain.asp#application
I received separation pay (or severance pay, wages in lieu of notice, vacation pay, etc.). When should I file a claim? You are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits for any full week covered by separation pay, vacation pay, etc. (nor may such a week count as your “waiting period week”). Generally, you should file your claim the first week after the period covered by the payment (if the last week of the payment is not a full week’s pay, you may file that same week, although you possibly will still be ineligible due to excessive earnings). IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: Individuals receiving severance pay are considered to be unemployed (and, therefore, may file a claim) during any week that they are registered at or attending an institution of higher learning, a secondary school or an approved training program.. You must provide documentation of your school attendance/registration, and you must meet unemployment insurance “availability for work” requirements.
-Anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: When are we going to organize a protest against H1B visas? It is 1 thing to off-shore work, it is totally another to import cheap labor to take our jobs. PM at NYPD has stated his goal is to replace everyone ,except 2 key client facing people, with Indians. I see numerous job postings that state they are looking for "landed GD resource" - that's code for an Indian on an H1B visa. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: Any update on the alliance membership drive? Did we reach our goal? -member-
Alliance reply: We wish we had great news but we don't. We gained 19 new members for the month.
We also lost a few because of job cuts. Thank you to the new members for seeing the value and need for the Alliance.

Comment 05/29/09: -Exodus2007- Absolutely right! Great insight!!! Sheep also know how to flock for protection. I am still absolutely amazed and appalled that the sheeple (most IBMers) haven't even learned that yet apparently. If they don't want union (why they never say) then why not at least make their collective voice felt for the benefit of all? Yes, what is it going to take? If IBMers don't hang together they will surely hang (be RA'ed) separately (with thanks to Bennie Franklin). -anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: - Plus IBM management gets paid much better than even the top techies- This isn't entirely true, at least not from a 1st line manager's perspective. There are 1st line managers who have employees that make MORE than they do. Why? The employees were outsourced to IBM. What's this tell you? IBM doesn't pay competitively. First line managers fall into band 8 and band 9 ranges, most are band 8s from what I've been told. -anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: Well some of us have joined the Alliance recently. I've heard nothing about big June STG layoffs but assume this will be a more surgical strike this time. Remember labor unions are the reason why (most of us) do not work Saturdays and have a 5 day work week. Lest we forget that this is a benefit that was paid for in blood in the 1930s. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: Regarding North Carolina, does anyone have any background regarding the process of qualifying for unemployment if you received a separation payment from IBM? I have seen information that is a little confusing on whether a person is eligible/ineligible for unemployment if a separation (or termination) pay was involved. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: To -Exodus2007 Yes it is happening AGAIN!. IBM is firing employees just because they can.- That's a little over the top. They're not doing it "just because they can". They're doing it to meet their commitment to an EPS number. The sad thing (well, it's not really
sad, more shameful) is the EPS could likely be met or even beaten if each executive from Sam to 3 levels down would take a 15% pay cut.
But why take a pay cut when you can fire people... -anonymous-

Comment 05/29/09: Has anyone who was RAed been successful in submitting a petition for the TAA program benefits? It would seem that the IBM Resource Action is a prime candidate for this program. And that once a petition is accepted, then all 2009 RAs would be blanket covered by the first approved petition. TAA has to do with benefits for people affected by offshoring. A petition requires signatures of 3 affected employees. http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/ -I-Want-My-TAA-

Comment 05/29/09: Yes it is happening AGAIN!. IBM is firing employees just because they can. They are starting with contractors and will soon get around to regular employees. And yet again no massive number of people have joined the Alliance to try and slow down or stop this terrible attrition. The old saying that the beatings will continue till morale improves is true at IBM. Calling Management names will not solve it. This situation at IBM defies a basic rule of physics. For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. IBM pushes and few react. Its like the IBM workforce has become zombies. So buried in their own little ruts they just go through the day like robots. It is so very sad. I have heard the word sheeple to describe them. Sheep at least bleat when they are getting sheared. The French rose up against King Louis. Americans rose up against King George. IBMers need to rise up against King Samuel. Otherwise expect the beatings to continue. He can only assume that you like them. -Exodus2007-

Comment 05/29/09: If you are still considering yourself an "IBM'er", have even the remotest pride that you work for "IBM", you are a frog whose world is IBM. Who cares what happens to this company - self-preservation, with or without IBM, without be even better. LOOK AROUND. THINK. -MD-

Comment 05/29/09: Here is the Onion's take on people offshoring their own jobs.
We all can use a good laugh now. http://www.theonion.com/content/video/more_american_workers_outsourcing -anonymous-

Comment 05/28/09: Sammy Palmipoopo and Randy MacDonald are on a mission to transform IBM. The are getting rid of all old timers that are interested in protecting their job and joining the Alliance. IBM will soon be full of Generation Xers who couldn't care less about a Union and a long term job at IBM. All they want is a job with IBM to get 4-5 years of experience and move on. While I support the cause of the Alliance it dosen't surprise me about the low number of people joining. Sad but true. -Alliance Supporter-

Comment 05/28/09: "Offshoring Big Blue" http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=3067 -annonymous-

Comment 05/28/09: Well the dorks that are IBM management don't get RA'ed as much as non-management. Plus IBM management gets paid much better than even the top techies. -anonymous-

Comment 05/28/09: Please detail how to find the form to file with the DoL on the COBRA problem with subsidy. I do not see a link for this when I use the link on this page. -anonymous-

Comment 05/28/09: Another good article on corporate ethics & warning signals.
"High earning expectation is a potential “warning sign” as more often than not it leads to accounting irregularities that may result in “abusive earnings management.” Revenues that consistently match the analysts’ expectations should ring an alarm in the minds of the auditors and stakeholders. " http://www.deccanherald.com/content/4609/are-we-ignoring-warnings-corporate.html -annonymous-

Comment 05/28/09: Layoffs for contractors in Yorktown and Hopewell junction started today, I saw guy laid off just as shift ended, they made him work the whole shift and rode him about work and then laid him off with no notice. Dumb contractor boss let it slip IBM is definitely planning a June resource action and is starting with contractors this time. The contractor boss let it slip that the email she recieved on Wed morning stated they wanted to minimize the bad press they have been getting -anonymous-

Comment 05/28/09: "I would not be surprised to see a LOT of people at all levels leaving esp. when the economy starts to improve."
Yes you are correct. We have seen this before. People hear about layoffs coming. They get their house in order, send out their resume and above all else they make the mental break with their current employer. They decide that they can leave, maybe even that they want to leave. They layoffs happen. They organization fires all that they want. You might think it is over, but it isn't. For the next 6-9 months those people who reached their "activation energy" during the buildup to the layoffs still keep leaving as they find better jobs. I saw this in IBM at business unit that was actually hiring while there were massive layoffs in other areas of IBM. That business unit continued to loose key employees for months and months even though they didn't fire a single person and in fact hired many of the people who were fired from other areas. The stealth nature of these layoffs and IBM's lack of candor with it's employees makes the reality of an event likely again. The current economic recession means that the effect might be stretched out over a longer period. By that I mean both the firings by IBM AND the continued voluntary separations after IBM is done spilling blood. -BFL-

Comment 05/27/09: Those who tried to post to
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-palmisano/shining-cities-on-a-smart_b_206702.html#comment_24669459 , and failed, should try again now. A lot of great comments are getting through!
And thanks to Anony-mouse for the link to
http://ethicist.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/when-layoffs-are-immoral/#comment-4431
The main article is about Caterpillar, but comments #89, #126, #133 are about IBM. See also today's follow-up:
http://ethicist.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/an-update-on-mass-layoffs/ -Gorya-

Comment 05/27/09: John: Not only does IBM choose dorks for management but only a dork would want to be a manager there, besides, won't IBM only confirm dates of employment and last salary? -anonymous-

Comment 05/27/09: Just filed an appeal with the the Federal DOL as I have been denied the 65% COBRA Subsidy. Hope more individuals will be filing claims who are in this boat to build momentum behind this..thank you -Appeal-

Comment 05/27/09: Just got the axe from STG sales in Canada - not many of us left. Makes sense as we are not selling anything anymore. I was afraid to leave IBM - guess what I'm already fielding offers from partners for more pay - boy was I stupid to hang around. Must say I dont want to give any managers names as references - seems IBM chooses real dorks for management - not sure why - but real dorks - cant be trusted. That is the big problem - references. I am sure glad to get away from sametime, and weekly cadance - what a total joke - glad it is over. -John-
Alliance reply: Sorry for your job loss. Good luck to you.

Comment 05/27/09: IBM and Wal-Mart have paired up to off shore the Wal-Mart IT. They are beginning now, 1st they are training contractors on the IT systems. Then for approx. 10 weeks after that these contractors will go to India to train the people there on the Wal-Mart systems. After they are trained the shift will take place to India. -anon-

Comment 05/27/09: US: H-1B workers outnumber unemployed techies: ComputerWorld Link -anonymous-

Comment 05/27/09: I would not be surprised to see a LOT of people at all levels leaving esp. when the economy starts to improve. There are many fine people with a conscience and do not buy into the leadership strategies and lack of ethics. You reap what you sow. http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/story/5224183/ -anonymous-

Comment 05/27/09: >>Alliance reply: Dumb question: What's "NB:" mean? I don't recognize the shorthand.
Nota Bene: Latin for Note Well. It's an imperative for those who think Sammy boy will grow a conscience when all he will do is terrorize and humiliate and threaten and then fire more and more American employees. All that is left, to the IBM employee, is to unionize. -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Thanks. Note Taken. Well said. I use a longer version when I send out Tweets--> Remember: At Will Employee=no union contract=no voice in the workplace=no protection from IBM's abuse. I like yours even better. :-)
Rick White
Treasurer, Organizer, Web Maintenance
and Health & Safety Representative
CWA Local 1701
Alliance@IBM
www.allianceibm.org
Twitter ID: @allianceibm

Comment 05/27/09: >>EXCELLENT NY Times blog >>This video about out-sourcing is so funny.
Yes. Immoral. Funny. Both are good sites and both have points. Yes, outsourcing is immoral and yes, the comic video was funny. The problem? Sammy boy is laughing at both, all the way to the bank, and there is no one to stop him. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-
Alliance reply: Dumb question: What's "NB:" mean? I don't recognize the shorthand.

Comment 05/27/09: I'm a day late, but read this EXCELLENT NY Times blog on the ethics of massive layoffs... http://ethicist.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/when-layoffs-are-immoral/#comment-4431 -Anony-mouse-

Comment 05/26/09: >>This is the bona-fide, de-facto blog board for any scoop on IBM.
Yes it is. The other Yahoo boards were very valuable during the screwing of 1999, but the screwing of 2009 is a unique one. Fear, paralyzing fear is rampant (thanks in a big part to the threats of severance/no severance by management), and those being screwed are even afraid of posting at the Yahoo boards. So they come here. And thanks to the Alliance for providing this anonymous, protected board (even if corporate apologist trolls get in sometimes, they are quickly routed). So, if you don't want to be threatened and offshored and RA'ed and treated like dirt, join the Alliance and make noise. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/26/09: I worked for ibm from 1999-2008 -Cindy-

Comment 05/26/09: This video about out-sourcing is so funny. Enjoy!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/68913/onion-news-network-more-american-workers-outsourcing-own-jobs-overseas#s-p1-st-i0
-Drgunzet-

Comment 05/26/09: Neal: They don't take 401K out of your severance but the Feds withhold 25% plus SS. If you have state income tax they'll take their chunk out too. CA withheld more than I pay all year. Wound up with 60% of the gross amount. Free in NC: I laid a patch leaving the main entrance too, immature maybe, but felt great. Playing "I Feel Free" by Cream, loud with the T-tops off on a warm sunny day... -ex-SVLer-

Comment 05/26/09: First - I think, regardless of whether a union can/is ever formed - this website serves a HUGE BENEFIT for employees. It is the one place where people can go to get the "heads up" and maybe get a head start looking for a transfer, or "wise up" on what really happens at IBM. This is the bona-fide, de-facto blog board for any scoop on IBM. Support Alliance and let others know about it (and the tricks on how to navigate to where all the juicy comments/info is, you have to click on the Comments line on the left, then PAGE DOWN a few... it's the paging down that most people miss). -gotta-b-invisible-

Comment 05/26/09: Looks like the weekday moderators at Huffington Post are letting more posts in. than the weekend people. But what really is interesting is that there is a link to Sam's piece on w3...comments and all. Apparently no one in sam's circle is reading the comments or it certainly wouldn't be on the w3 homepage.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-palmisano/shining-cities-on-a-smart_b_206702.html#comment_24669459
p.s. good job for those that got through...keep it up. -Lost it-

Comment 05/26/09: Got the word. June 1st IGS layoff notifications. July 1 exit. Quarterly targets. -No Numbers-

Comment 05/26/09: IBM (actually, Fidelity) is WRONG about their ruling that exIBMers who have access to retirement healthcare are not eligible for the full COBRA subsidy. They are just flat wrong. Unfortunately, the only avenue seems to be contacting the DOL, as THERE IS NO WAY to find a name of an IBMer who is responsible for this CRIME. -atalba-

Comment 05/26/09: Just a thought: the typical 30 day notice does not (usually) allow you to change your 401K deduction in time to make the payroll cutoff. If you "think" something might happen", maybe you should consider bumping up your deduction in time. You can always go back and lower it if nothing happens. Remember you will have your severance, which will last for a while. I don\'t know if 401K is taken from it too but it's possible. You just might want to stash as much in your 401K while you can.... -Neal Watkins-

Comment 05/26/09: anonymous, just ask your manager to ask his rep for the link to prorated vacation days per month. If IBM is consistent, your last day will be a day short of your last month but that's not a huge surprise is it? -Anonymous-

Comment 05/26/09: "Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitude..." I got my walking papers and checks today. I burned rubber in the parking lot while blasting "Schools out" by Alice Cooper! This has been the most stress free I have felt in 12 years... same amount of time I have spent on the 'plantation'. Those who are still hanging on, PREPARE NOW! Get your finances in order. My wife and I did a while back because tech jobs are not stable, and most tech folks know this which is why many won't bother joining a union. They would prefer to just hop around and try and hold on to any job they can get til they are 70 with no quality of life. They 'hopping' thing started back in the tech boom and hasn't stopped. I am free now and will enjoy some time off and work on my skills for my next job. I encourage those who feel a union can help or even if you are on the fence, to go ahead a join. Tech jobs have too much competition worldwide unlike automakers, etc. Any clown in these BRIC country and lie and say they have credentials because none of the yahoos are really checking their background. All they see is cheap labor... ibm Has no more innovation or a clue and hates competition which is why they would prefer to go cheap on everything to make it look like they are profitable. It will all come tumbling down... And I will be here to laugh... Be prepared. -Free in NC-

Comment 05/26/09: I am disillusioned with this alliance thing now, why are you guys trying to save employees who do not wish to be saved ? The alliance has been around for a while now, and if there was to be a union, there's been enough time. It's an idea, a union feels good, gives people a purpose, a mission, and it's an attachment to this idea, but facts speak differently. Yes, the CWA has done some good work in bring about awareness of IBM's mal-policies, but IBM lawyers are way too smart. Huge chunks of employees have already been let go, so who will you guys have in this imagined union ? I am not being rude, neither disrespectful, but guys, it's time to search your souls. The CWA serves a good purpose doing what it's doing now, the hope of a union is a distortion to reality. There will hardly be any employees left to be in the union, even if the CWA reaches the threshold. The one thing I can do think of is this, and I am going to personally practice this now, I will make every single effort to eliminate IBM as a vendor for my new employers, I will try every single means to supply any revenue to this firm. We are NOT IBM anymore, neither are many of you, and I recommend hitting their bottom lines, if their are IBM'ers working for you as consultants, treat them humane, but the firm should not et any contracts from your firms, no government contracts (yes, write to your congressmen, senators, the president), it is tax-payer money that IBM will take from government contracts and employ people in BRIC countries.
That is the ONLY recourse left. Alliance, your thoughts? Not in a defensive mode, but pause, think, then respond. My best to Lee and others. -MD-
Alliance reply: The Alliance is more than a "union idea". We are a membership organization and advocate for employees. That too is part of our mission. As has been said before: we are in this for the long haul and we will keep fighting as long as there are IBM employees in the US. Our advocacy work for tech workers on offshoring and job cuts will continue and we are reaching out to non-IBM workers as well. There needs to be organizations for worker interests. It is up to people to support them. If you don't then the corporations win. So even if you don't work for IBM anymore our work for tech workers nationwide needs your support and membership.

Comment 05/26/09: >>Comment 05/26/09: Hope this is not a dumb question. If I get RA'ed and have not taken any earned vacation days do I get credit for them to increase my severance? -anonymous-
Not a dumb question, just dumb managers who don't answer them. No, you don't increase your severance, you get a separate check for earned vacation days, which are pro-rated.
>>Comment 05/26/09: No. American companies do not care about the offshore risks.They also do not care about the quality of the workforce nor the products coming out of that workforce. All they care about is a quarterly bottom line and how fat their wallet is.
Amen. How else do you think there is still no backlash on the TEN THOUSAND employees fired since January? Think that's just a fluke? It's not, no one cares. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE.
>>Comment 05/26/09: @ -RA'd 2/262009- I'm finding the same issue; Huffington Post moderators won't let any of my comments through either. Apparently they don't want comments that reflect badly on IBM & Sam P. vis-a-vis layoffs and innovation around offshoring. -CM-
Does Sammy boy own them? -anonymouse-

Comment 05/26/09: I tried to post on the Huffington Post also, and my comments never made it out there. -miss understanding-

Comment 05/26/09: If you get RA'ed, you don't get a higher separation amount. You get any unused "earned" vacation as an additional payment. -Beat Up-

Comment 05/26/09: @ -RA'd 2/262009- I'm finding the same issue; Huffington Post moderators won't let any of my comments through either. Apparently they don't want comments that reflect badly on IBM & Sam P. vis-a-vis layoffs and innovation around offshoring. -CM-

Comment 05/26/09: No. American companies do not care about the offshore risks.They also do not care about the quality of the workforce nor the products coming out of that workforce. All they care about is a quarterly bottom line and how fat their wallet is. I just had a refrigerator go south on me. It was a 1.5 yo Frigidaire. Compressor died and of course the entire box is made in Mexico, I did not know that when I bought it. To add insult to injury, the help line was Fridgidaire via India !! They would do nothing for me. Never again. IBM's parts are no different. Components falling off the boards and laying in the box when you open it. DOA parts. Parts with defective test sheets shipped as new anyway. It's a total mess. I remember when IBM made everything right down to machined parts made in Endicott. Those days are long gone. Just to keep on topic, I now hear cuts in NY are pure speculation. Who knows. They will lie throw their teeth. As for the Alliance/union, I am all for it and was an early organizer. For SSR's, sadly it's a lost cause because they still are like sheeple and believe mother IBM will take care of them. Even the smart ones who were recently hired stick around. I really don't get it. It's like battered women syndrome where she stays around because "she loves him". Do they still give a psychological exam prior to employment? That would explain it. IBM hires the ones that fit the mold. -YouCanCallMeAl-

Comment 05/26/09: Hope this is not a dumb question. If I get RA'ed and have not taken any earned vacation days do I get credit for them to increase my severance? -anonymous-

Comment 05/25/09: Do American companies know the risks they incur by moving too many jobs off shore? Terrorists abound in or near the countries America is off shoring their jobs to. American security is top notch but still has flaws. Now, imagine how worse the security is in some of these other countries! Can you image the chaos if some these off shore IT support sites were attacked? God forbid, American IT support will come to a halt! In your anger you may think this is a "good" thing. Teach these companies a lesson. But something like that will affect all of us (with or without jobs). Look at what happened in California when some vandals cut just ONE fiber line - business came to a halt! Its not just about off shoring jobs, I think there is a bigger issue here. Companies like IBM are not just being disloyal to the employees who have helped to make them what they are, but they putting America at risk! It's un-American in more ways than one! Think about it...and be concerned. -Concerned!-

Comment 05/25/09: More cuts coming in Rochester, MN manufacturing and support groups according to the rumor mill. Sounds like the last Thursday in July. Hang on! -JJ-

Comment 05/24/09: The Huffington Post moderators won't let any of my comments through. Hope you all have better luck with your attempts at comments. I can't get anything in. -RA'd 2/262009-

Comment 05/24/09: Can we not keep this section for information about job cuts? There is far too many postings griping about Sam's compensation, corporate aircraft etc. If IBM wants to improve productivity they need to seriously look at the minority of employees who are abusing the work from home privelige. Most people who are still allowed to do it are working very hard from home. There is a few who are accomplishing very little and have been doing so for years -Tiredofbigblew-

Comment 05/24/09: Ref: -RA'd 2/26/09- Shining Cities - Smarter Planet? I don't think so. Dirty slums covering the globe and a new feudal system - that's more the vision. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 05/24/09: Just when I think it can't get worse, it does. Now they are paying tuition for Indian employees to get their MBAs! AND they complain of high attrition rates in Indian employees. So - let me get this straight. They fire American MBAs who have proven their loyalty for 20 years and instead shell out tuition for disloyal employees in India to get online MBAs? Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. (At least my MBA is "real.") -annonymous-
Alliance reply: There is somewhat of an irony to this. During the IBM boom of the 1980's, a similar situation occurred. For example, once a 2 year degree'd, junior engineer got in his/her first or second service year with IBM; they would signup to go back to school and get their 4 year or even their MBA, Phd, or whatever and take an educational LOA. There were some that left IBM for Microsoft or whomever, a year or so after they completed those academic accomplishments, because they were dissatisfied with the assignments IBM gave them. It's ironic because their disloyalty sparked IBM's policies to change, in this country, as a result. This is from my observation while working in a development engineering department, from 1984-1990.

Comment 05/24/09: TWO NEW Gulfstream 550's on order @ $70M/ea. Does this come with the enhanced failsafe security package? Geez Wouldn't two four seater Piper Cubs suffice? Heck they cut costs on everything so why not here? It's greed. Plainly so. -anonymous-

Comment 05/24/09: -RA'ed in Jan- I agree with you but I have to leave or get RA'ed to get my hands on my pension. That's what stinks. I wish IBM would just cash me out now. But like you mentioned they use it as a company asset (I think I heard it called a vapor profit?) so of course they want to keep it and get their greedy fingers on it if they legally can then they have no liability to pay it to us. -anonymous-

Comment 05/23/09: A small bit of advice to those RAed and who have the cash-balance "pension". For the "old" plan, this does not apply, nor for the "401k-Plus" but.. I've been reading a lot recently where companies declaring bankruptcy end up having their pension plan as an asset that can be attached by creditors, essentially screwing employees/retirees. Now, we all know what IBM did to get to the "cash" balance in 1999, and we also know that IBM is not likely to declare bankruptcy any time soon. BUT! As they did in 1999, IBM may well be able to find another legal loophole that will eat, diminish, remove etc your still-held-in-IBM cash-balance pension. It IS a company asset. It's easy to leave it there when you separate from IBM. IBM wants you to. My advice is TAKE IT OUT NOW. Consult a financial advisor and roll it into a qualified plan so you don't take a tax hit, but DO NOT leave it there. IBM can do anything within the letter of the law to it. TAKE IT. It's yours! If you don't, IBM can do things to it. Don't take the chance. It costs you nothing to take it. It also is a silly process that takes about 90 days. Consult a financial person, then call the ESC and get the process going. Don't take a chance on losing what you had left of your pension. (BTW, they can't hurt your 401K because that is not a company asset, but I took that as well - who knows what fees IBM buries in there - I'd rather manage it outside IBM's clutches.) FWIW... -RA'ed in Jan-

Comment 05/23/09: And let's not forget Sams 2, yes TWO NEW Gulfstream 550's on order @ $70M/ea. The argument of essential for secure transportation doesn't hold water. These are to REPLACE the 2 he ALREADY has. Guess the leather gets a bit worn after 12 yrs or so. -Amazed-

Comment 05/23/09: To RacerX: I agree. My post of 5/8 states the future climate of IBM. Different words, same message "Comment 05/08/09: The 40+ IBM employee population is dwindling - no news here. There will be a generation shift beginning now. The new employees coming in, whether here or in BRIC countries, will have little to no expections of this corporation. They will have a job with a stated salary, that's it. They will work until they either burn out or find a job elsewhere. IBM will get the job done, one way or another, and as cheaply as possible. As an employer, the bar has been lowered for IBM. " -anon-

Comment 05/23/09: >>So here's another free way to spread the word since our congressmen aren't exactly coming to our rescue.

Good job, -RA'd 2/26/09-, BUT, this is from the CWA site:

CEO IBM Sam Palmisano

1-Year Pay $21,300,000

5-Year Pay $57,580,000

Annual Pension $4,000,000

Do you think Sammy cares what anyone says?
I spoke to an employee the other day. He 'just' wants to 'make it' to retirement eligibility. Do YOU think the employees are ready to rise up and unionize??? IBM (legal) figured it out 'good' this time. All the bloodshed of 1999 with none of the backlash. Brilliant.-anonymouse-

Comment 05/23/09: To RA'd 2/26/09... You must have gotten quite a response to this because I cannot get logged on to comment over there. Here is my response:
Oh, SJP…you sure can spin a yarn. My knees are red from the pounding they took while I… LMAO. The initial J must stand for Jumbo to match that ego of yours! Well old sludge, I am not trying to ridicule you out of your position….but really Puddin’head you need to humble yourself long enough…TO GET OUT OF that corporate jet and walk around sometime. Where did you come up with those statistics?
“In 1900, only 13 percent of the world's population lived in cities. Two years ago, we crossed a threshold -- for the first time ever, more than half of us were urban dwellers. And by 2050, that number will rise to 70 percent. We are adding the equivalent of seven New Yorks to the planet every year.”
You are going to create seven New York cities! Puhleez. I hope you can create those cities without the pollution, slums, bums on the sidewalk, unemployment lines, crack houses, thieves, muggers, hobos and tramps sleeping under your shiny new trains. Geez Sammy get a grip. If anything people will be moving away from your shiny cities, leaving them to rot like ghost towns because they cannot afford to live there. You, personally, have left a “cloud of witnesses” and added to the shining cities’ unemployment lines. Go on old man try to lay your hands upon the annointed servants you have created and plug them into your smart grids all over the planet. I dare you! If, we the people, are truelly smart, and I know we are, it will be US that plug into OUR grid and SELL the freely created non-polluting energy back to your sorry ARSE. Because the public should own the energy, you old wormy carpetbagger. You opportunistic creep. How long do you and others of your ilk think we are going to continue vacillating? Hmmmm? You better get your bags packed Mr. International Bag of Manure. There are millions of people out here, educated in the GOOD OLE U. S. of A., that have promised themselves to be rid of the cosmic greed mongers like yourself. Harpies like you, who are preying on and trying to create a global, one world order where we all fall in line like sheep being herded towards their untimely deaths. You think you are going to plug me into your MATRIX! Fugettaboutit. Sammy old boy take your shining cities and stick them where they don’t…GO UNION! Let’s take back our country, our money, our FREEDOM and let these slick, slimy, clammy, glutinous, miry, mucky, mucous covered, muddy, scummy, scamming, scheming SOBs who want to kick us while we are down take a global sojourn from which they never return.
Fellow IBMers please join this UNION today! -just1waiting-

Comment 05/22/09: As a former ibm’er I feel very sorry for the folks who are hanging on to the broken promises which we heard from our managers. These promises, which were reinforced by ibm’s basic beliefs and opinion surveys, caused us to stick with ibm while hoping that some of the top brass would remember us. As a current customer, I feel very sorry for the folks who are working around the clock, to support our systems. It’s clear that ibm doesn’t care about the front line. Less than half of the transitioned staff still works for ibm. And they are still trimming. But we’re paying full price for ibm to provide service, so we’re left with no choice but to insist on the service we’re paying for. Since they aren’t cutting us any discounts, I’d rather see you use the union to increase your pay - than to see the exec’s take all the profits. Our service would be better if we were serviced by happy employees. As to ibm’s future, hundreds of thousands of former employees and current customers have a lot of ill will towards IBM. Good luck. -anonymous-

Comment 05/22/09: Palmisano wrote a piece on Huffington Post about his vision for a smarter planet. I urge you all to start posting a comment. It was on there this afternoon (business section) and there are still less than 12 comments as of 9pm eastern. You can guess which one was mine. So here's another free way to spread the word since our congressmen aren't exactly coming to our rescue. Here's a link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-palmisano/shining-cities-on-a-smart_b_206702.html# -RA'd 2/26/09-

Comment 05/22/09: July 1st date for salary increases saves 1/12 (8%) of the increase amount this year. It also moves the increased salary costs into the 3rd quarter. -Simple Math-

Comment 05/22/09: Union is doing a good job - keep it up -anonymous-

Comment 05/22/09: For -just-me- The rumor I heard June's RA will be announced between 5/26-5/29. Supposedly it will not be as big as the last RA. Can't confirm which divisions or sites to be affected. -anonymous-

Comment 05/22/09: A msg posted on the w3 site states IBM is moving the salary increase date from June 1st to July 1st. Something about aligning with the cycle of sales teams. Sounds like another lame excuse to save 1 months worth of salary payments across the board. -miss understanding-

Comment 05/22/09: To -just-me- : You people continue to amaze me. The WARN reports show lots of layoffs in June. Many more smaller firings not even covered under those reports. Have you signed up as a paying member yet??? I'm always amazed at people looking for more info on upcoming layoffs. YES IT"S COMING. The only way to protect yourself is with a UNION. If you are sitting around wondering, yes it's going to happen to you and soon. -RAd_in_07-

Comment 05/22/09: I hear that major cuts will be happening in the SSR field June 1,2009. In particular the NYC office will be hit badly...
All rumour, but from some very reliable (in the past) sources. This sucks,,,, -YouCanCallMeAl-
Alliance reply: It would suck less; if you and your co-workers had a written contract, signed by your union bargaining rep and IBM management...wouldn't it? It would suck less; if instead of waiting to sign up or being afraid and waiting to organize, you had already done those things and your CWA rep was telling you "no worries" about layoffs because IBM had agreed in the contract, to notify everyone months in advance of a layoff and those notified would be able to come back to work when things get better...wouldn't it?

Comment 05/21/09: I was part of the March resource action and am honestly relieved that I'm no longer around to see and/or help ITD achieve its goal of off-shoring the remaining the US resources. People have known for years this was going to happen, so I can't say it's a surprise. As has been stated before, it makes financial sense when 3 or 4 off-shore resources can be funded by the cost of a single on-shore resource. But, it's still hard to swallow when the company is wildly profitable and the world is in the biggest recession since WWII. Lastly, I feel worst for the IBM'ers who dedicated 20+ years of their lives to the company and are now looking to establish a second career. They managed to survive the layoffs of the 90's, only to get caught in this latest wave. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/21/09: An article by Jim Hightower. http://jimhightower.com/node/6823 -just1waiting-

Comment 05/21/09: While this article is not specifically about IBM, it does point out flaws in the PBC process:
http://www.jacksonfish.com/blog/2009/05/21/employee-performance-reviews-do-more-harm-than-good/
I've always thought having a nontechnical person (i.e., your manager) inform you every year how good he thinks your technical skills are is a rather strange company policy. -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 05/21/09: Is it too late for a union? Why join now that I am RA'd or forced into retirement. The answer is simple. If you are ra'd but plan to stay in the industry you probably will have dealings with IBM. God forbid you may even get " Aquired " by IBM. If this happens being in the union already may help you regain seniority or at least give you some say in writing into a contract that IBM must honor past years of service . If you are forced to retire the only way I can see most of us ever seeing a raise in our pensions or return of the defined pensions is through a union contract. If for no other reason at least spend the 5 bucks a month to be a pain in Sammys ass. The wild hair that festers and irritates. Who knows. Maybe we can cause him some discomfort on his cushy throne. -Exodus2007-

Comment 05/21/09: Cobra and TMP are still coordinated, Neal. My 1st 6 months of COBRA is the TMP benefit. Then 12 months of just COBRA for a total of 18 months. -anonymous-

Comment 05/21/09: I've been looking for a job as a Software Engineer since I was layed off in February... I noticed that IBM has a job posting for Boca Raton so I checked it out... I'm so surprised, it's for an intern... -cut-loose-in-Feb-

Comment 05/21/09: Try to kill off wmiprvse.exe in the Windows Task Manager processes. Actually I thought this wmiprvse.exe was a worm (of the infamous Windows OS based "run always" variety) on my laptop. If you can't kill the process I went one better before I was RA'ed and removed wmiprvse.exe from my laptop and cleaned up the Windows registry to totally remove it. And then I would inspect every time that IBM ISSI routine that installs and updates software on the laptop more closely. Aw, shucks, I guess I was RA'ed because I don't have TECHNICAL skills. Your loss now IBM! Of course IBM is using this to find folks who they are targeting for future RA's. You can bet they want to find some IBMer looking at this website on their laptop so don't do it on the IBM laptop! Do it on your own PC. Yes, IBM is monitoring for this. They will deny the existence of the Alliance but IBM fears it for sure! -bigbrowatching-

Comment 05/21/09: >>Oh, is that what you think. 'Get Real?' Folks: 'Get Real' is a troll and a corporate apologist. Pay no attention to 'it'.

>>Had a discussion with my 2nd line manager a few days ago. Apparently, all is not well in the GR-world. IBM is having problems meeting deadlines for offshoring the accounts.
Awwwwwwww, isn't that a shame. You mean a MONTH of training under threat of severance/no severance wasn't ENOUGH to impart DECADES of experience to some frightened underskilled worker overseas who overstates their competency ???? IMAGINE THAT? Thanks, -miss understanding-, this is good to know. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/21/09: >>I was classified as 'retired' when RA'ed in Jan after 12 years service, so lost the FHA. I don't understand how this saves IBM money. Can someone explain?
-anonymous-, has no one explained that the FHA, farce that it is, is only available to those with 30 years or aged 55? You were not
eligible. How does this save IBM money? Read the Yahoo boards, it saves them TONS of money to give to the executives and to Sam, who will get $20K a day in HIS retirement. By the way, you weren't 'retired', you were FIRED. Think the severance is 'pretty good'? Think again. It's 'pretty good' when you are retirement eligible (and even then there are mitigating factors), it is NOT 'pretty good' when you miss out on retirement eligibility by two months and lose out on your FULL pension and the FHA. Know that IBM wins, every time, you don't. Oh, and notice how quiet everyone is? Before you know it, the Rapes of 2009 will be but a distant memory, just as the Rape of 1999 is. One word: unionize. If you don't, you deserve to be screwed. How sad. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/20/09: Letting people go who are close to retirement kind of makes sense in this climate......... -GetReal-
Oh, is that what you think. 'Get Real?' I think that YOU ought to get real because it won't be long that you will be in the same position and other younger workers will be saying that about you. Except--you make alot of stupid assumptions, which doesn't surprise me. You assume that most people who are getting laid off have already paid off their mortgages and have no kids in college??? What are you--the typical IBMer who happens to make 30 years and the retirement you might have been promised, but will never get?? So let me tell you, you little 'know it all but OH so little'--I was laid off at 50 years old. I was a single parent whose daughter was a few years away from going to college. She is in college now--since I left about four years ago. She is going to a community college--which I never imagined, but now am thrilled that she is doing this because she knows her mother has struggled enough to pay even those bills--but she is very smart and talented, and will probably go to a good school for the last two years. Only she is smarter than I--she won't work for a piece of shi* company that is lousy to its employees. She is WAAYY too smart for any of the IBM jobs--and certainly more ethical, so that she wouldn't take them if they were offered anyway. Obviously, your post contained several assumptions, which you indicated. Unfortunately, you did not assume that in most cases you were wrong, yes wrong, as in failure for writing something so stupid.
How can you assume that someone over 50 is in fact ready to be laid off? Especially if that person(s) will LOSE most of the retirement
that these people worked for for 25 years or more?? Unfortunately, I have to think that your post gave me a little chuckle at the same time. I'm sorry you are such a young and naive child. Those are who IBM should be laying off. During my years I trained kids from Cornell, Yale and even Harvard--I was hardly impressed because most could barely put a sentence together (IN ENGLISH) without making a mistake. From your post, I gather you are one of these kids. So sorry for you. When I left school, I left knowing I actually learned something, You, unfortunately, did not learn much. How long has it been since you have opened and read a newspaper? If you don't see what companies are doing to people now--and will do to you, one day--and yes, they will, then, my friend, you are pretty much of a dope.... Perhaps that is why you are happy and comfortable at IBM now. You are surrounded by many other brain-washed idiots who lack the abilty to think for themselves. I'm so sorry for you. You might have been something one day, but clearly you are naive and very shallow. Go back to school for a few years. That might help. But again, it might not. -anon-

Comment 05/20/09: It "used to be" that TMP and COBRA were coordinated. You get 18 months of Cobra but the first 12 months are IBM's TMP. Once that was done, you get 6 more months of full COBRA. A total of 18 months. -Neal Watkins-

Comment 05/20/09: Has anyone heard anymore about the June layoffs? June is just right around the corner, and I haven't heard as much as a peep of a rumor. -just-me-

Comment 05/20/09: Had a discussion with my 2nd line manager a few days ago. Apparently, all is not well in the GR-world. IBM is having problems meeting deadlines for offshoring the accounts. There are problems in the BRIC with employee turnover. Many of the employee's are leaving on their own and others are being fired because they don t have the necessary level of skills). They also are having problems getting the skills they need as fast as they need them. -miss understanding-

Comment 05/20/09: I was resourced after 35 years of service April 27. Elected retirement. After doing a lot of phone calls and writing, IBM is correct , the subsidy of 65% for COBRA does not apply. They are telling me that since I have two alternatives for medical coverage
retirement coverage which will run me $1700 month for a family of 4 or TEMP COBRA $397 for 12 moinths, as compared to the subsidy of $138 month, I do not qualify and the IRS has made this ruling! So once again we get screwed again! -Anonymous-

Comment 05/20/09: To GetReal, I think you need to get real. People in this age group have had their retirement savings hammered by the economic situation and have little time to recover even if they continue working. After they lose their job they have little chance of getting another job especially in the same salary range. You think these people continue to work at IBM for the fun of it? -anonymous-

Comment 05/20/09: IBM is monitoring the access of all employees - where they go, what they do using their laptops. The process which will display on your task manager is wmiprvse (wmiprvse.exe). You can find more information about this here ->
http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/wmiprvse.exe.html There is nothing you can do about it, they have the right to install what they want on their laptops. If you do need to access the network - make sure it is legitimate. -MD-

Comment 05/20/09: To DoneInEndicott um, start here: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforcenypartners/warn/warnportal.shtm
There's a Contact Us link on the left. Nothing specific for ratting on companies that bypass the WARN act, but might as well start with your local DOL rather than the Alliance, who will probably point you to your local DOL anyway. -anonymous-

Comment 05/20/09: I just read an article titled: "IBM spent more than $2M lobbying government in 1Q." This partially explains the apparently corrupt relationship that IBM has with the government. See link below.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/IBM-spent-more-than-2M-apf-15304059.html?.v=1 -John-

Comment 05/20/09: Hey GetReal - IBMers over 60 have had their pensions cut, some as much as 30%. They have not had the luxury of time to grow a 401k to replace it, and many of the 401ks were just about wiped out in the recent crash. Many analysts now say that people will have to work until they're 75 to make up for these hits to their planned retirements. It's not up to you to go around pointing fingers and deciding who needs a job and who doesn't, especially if you lack a thorough understanding of what has happened to older workers in the US. -Anon-

Comment 05/20/09: The Business Week article "Why I Love Exxon" challenges IBM's job cuts. Because of IBM's $1 Billion dollar advertising budget, IBM is almost untouchable in the media. Thanks to those who are taking an activist role to promote IBM worker rights and get the message out. Even though changes happens one person at a time, change is happening. See below link.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2009/sb20090519_070871.htm?campaign_id=yhoo -John-

Comment 05/20/09: The reason they have not cut the Severence is simple, it does not cost IBM anything to provide the severence. All the costs are charge to the Pension Fund. In adition IBM takes a tax break, that's why they always say they are taking a charge of X Million, they are writing it off even though they are not paying it. Seems to me like someone needs to tell the IRS and get somebody to spend a little time behind bars. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/20/09: Alliance, do you know how to file a complaint against IBM for not filing WARN notices? They have no problem filing them for Hudson Valley location, even when the numbers are under 50 (assume politics come in to play), but for those of us in Endicott, they have been hacking away year after year under the radar with no notification. I counted 60+ at the DOL meeting in April and there were several others who did not attend. Also, is anyone else planning to file an EEOC complaint? This needs to happen and the group in Endicott would have no problem showing the disparity as 80-90% of the people were over age 50. We may not be able to get anything from IBM financially but we should get together and expose this discrimination for what it is. -Done in Endicott-

Comment 05/20/09: Clarity is needed I think on this COBRA situation (for those who sign-up for COBRA) and FHA. It is not as bad as it seems, I think. This is what I understand the rules to be. Double check with the employee service center. I was told that during the 18 month COBRA period, everyone keeps the plan they had when they were at IBM. For a while you get the IBM TMP benefit which means you pay the same thing you paid when at IBM. When the IBM TMP period is over, you then pay the full group premium plus an admin fee for the remaining 18 months of the COBRA period. Only when the 18 month COBRA period is over, does the FHA group plan choice, and it’s higher premium, kick in. Normally after COBRA you are on your own anyway, and FHA at least gives you access to a group plan. Those who are eligible for retirement when they leave IBM, including bridged or who fall into the rule of 65 (age plus service = 65 or more), get access to the FHA plan (even if not to the money) or other IBM retirement plan. This makes them ineligible for the 9-month 65% COBRA subsidy by the federal rules. Access to ANY other plan makes this subsidy ineligible. BUT IT DOES NOT AFFECT THE PLAN CHOICE UNDER COBRA. Under COBRA you still get the plans you had when you left IBM (medical, dental, etc.), all which get the subsidy if you are eligible. So revisiting my own numbers – single person and IBM POS plan. The only real problem by not having the subsidy is that I have to pay the full group premium for dental (the IBM TMP benefit is medical only) and because it is so high without the subsidy I now have no dental coverage. My example numbers are:
COBRA – 6 months - $0 premium – with the IBM TMP (NOTE – 6 months of the subsidy would not reduce a $0 premium).
COBRA – next 12 months - $357/month (2009 IBM POS group rate) (NOTE the subsidy would only reduce 3 months when the 9 month mark is reached).
AFTER COBRA - $614 / month (2009 FHA group rate)

In addition to clarifying the 9-month 65% COBRA subsidy. The rule is you do not get the subsidy if you have access to any other plan (besides that offered by COBRA). The point of the subsidy is to offset the high cost of the COBRA premium that uses up a big chunk of unemployment money. It seems that the change that is needed in the subsidy rule should be - you should be allowed the subsidy if the plan you have access to costs the same or MORE than what is offered by COBRA. That would be in keeping with the intent of the subsidy. If the IBMers affected can be organized for a petition to take to the DoL and Congress - that would carry big weight to get attention on this little problem with the subsidy rule. Alliance: THIS AFFECTS ALL CWA's workers and all companies - can their union leaders organize a campaign for this????? -Anonymous-

Comment 05/20/09: BTW, it's been 10 years since the great pension heist and you USA IBMers still haven't woke up and unionized! If you wait much longer, say, through 2010 there will not be much IBM presence in the USA. The "guy just stating the facts from someone on the inside" is right
and I can understand why he is being so blunt about it. -anonymous-

Comment 05/19/09: I was classified as 'retired' when RA'ed in Jan after 12 years service, so lost the FHA. I don't understand how this saves IBM money. Can someone explain? Also, as bad as IBM has become, the severance package is still pretty good compared to most other companies. Anyone care to speculate why they haven't cut the severance, or is this just another aspect of the schizophrenic nature of IBM? -anonymous-

Comment 05/19/09: Letting people go who are close to retirement kind of makes sense in this climate. Assume that a person with a "normal" lifestyle at the age of 60-65 should not have any debts, no mortgage, no studying children anymore and in great need to enjoy the last phase of life without working. Besides that it does not make sense for IBM to invest in somebody who will go on retirement in a few years anyway. Compare this with laying off people who are in their midlife, still have a long careerpath ahead, with kids growing up, a fat mortgage and all other burdens that somebody typically has at the age of 35-45. I think the age discrimination act should be taken seriously to protect people over 45, but not the ones over 60. The ones over 60 should make space for new generations. I think that targeting the older workers is the least painful approach, in terms of finances. -GetReal-

Comment 05/19/09: For anyone in Canada with a disability who has been RA'd due to their job moving to a GDF, see a lawyer. There are laws in Canada in regards to accomodation and from what I am reading, IBM is violating them. See:
http://www.ofl.ca/uploads/library/disability_issues/ACCOMMODATION.pdf -helpothersreceivejustice-

Comment 05/19/09: anonymouse: It's too late for just a union. At this point, a union that is actively gaining the attention of the media (and I don't mean just in Poughkeepsie - or Armonk - or Endicott). There need to be protests in Washington, NYC, Chicago... led by the union. If you want more people to join, they have to know the union will do something that gets noticed. Second, we need to all individually get the attention of not only our fellow employees, but also the attention of our federal and local politicians. We need to make these politicians not only understand the problem (and it's bigger than just IBM), we need to also visibly show them how many people (how many potential voters) are concerned and willing to vote on this issue. A union will only come when the majority of employees think the union can help fix the problem. -CM-

Comment 05/19/09: we all see that you are making tremendous efforts for IBMers to sign up. I'd like to suggest that if you have access to all IBMers contact list, make them "members" by default pending free sign up or an "easy click button" on your site with no memebership fees at all. Once you have large number sign up for free and you begin to implement your goals with enough strength and IBMers see a difference, you can charge a one small life time fee or very low yearly membership fee. You have to get enough strength to make a difference and value of your existence. You have to get out of "catch-22" situation by trying some un-conventional ways. -Shy_from_Ny-
Alliance reply: Thank you for your support and your suggestions. We do appreciate your opinion and ideas.
We can't "make them members by default pending free sign up"; without their permission. That's illegal and we would be closed down by the Federal gov't and possibly face jail time, if we even attempted to. We already have a link that "allows" subscriber level or "free" membership to Alliance for a limited time. We have offered the "free' status for some time (10 years), and have realized that many of those "free" members never would take the next step and organize their co-workers. They would continue to get "free" help and information from us, as long as it lasted and then they would disappear, for a variety of reasons. We still have thousands of "free" subscribers, because of their constant interest and continual layoffs by IBM. "Un-conventional" is being tried and has been tried. We need the funding of dues paying members to keep this site and the organization available to IBMers that are truly interested in forming a union. "One small life time fee" even if it came from a few hundred people; will not sustain us, nor the mission. The rate of layoff churn and the fear, fear, fear that is prevalent among many IBMers, governs the situation. Put down the fear, step up to the plate, decide that you are going to fight and not expect someone to hand out a union contract to you without your pesonal involvement and effort; and you will see change happen.

Comment 05/19/09: >>This guy is just stating the facts from someone on the inside
That may be, but many employees and retirees have been 'stating the facts' since 1999, and look at all the good it has done. Stating the facts can be done in a much more diplomatic way than was done here. But no matter, the employees are screwed anyway if they don't unionize. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/19/09: I see your post on appealing the problem of no COBRA subsidy for those with "access" to FHA (but not enough years to get any money). This problem affects those retirement eligible but with less than 15 years service. Like many I do not have the 15 years needed to access FHA retiree health money. But being retirement eligible, I do have “access only” to FHA in order to buy these retiree health plans – they are much more expensive than the non-retiree plans. And the FHA plans do not get the COBRA subsidy. Premium costs in 2009 without the 65% subsidy is (for my single person plan of IBM PPO and Dental Plus):
1. Medical FHA $614/month (non-FHA would only be $357/month which is $125/month with the subsidy).
2. Dental about $55/month (non-FHA would only be $44/month which is $15/month with the subsidy). There is no form that I can see as yet at the DoL website. I think it would be a great idea to centralize this somehow for people affected so we can go to the DoL with a group list and know how many are affected. -anonymous-

Comment 05/19/09: Quit on my own accord as after many years of service. Working at IBM stopped being fun, and is certainly not the IBM I signed up for years ago. I know some pockets of quality folks still hanging on, figuring they will wait for a severance package or another pie-in-the-sky perfect job. Some people were college hires and IBM is all they know. My advice to them is if you can work at IBM, you can work anywhere.
Find a place that will provide you with meaningful work and will treat you decently. If it's not very meaningful, make sure you get compensated well working for some other corporate behemoth. Scary, but when has the world ever had certainties? Speaking of certanties, last I checked there is no legal guarantee for IBMers of a severance package... -sector7g-

Comment 05/19/09: the long arm of IBM's abandonment of the US workforce: From the Harrisburg, PA area "Due to IBM outsourcing jobs to Argentina, a number of staffing agency employees have lost their jobs, Jen Boyer, branch manager for the Harrisburg Office of Manpower International, said. Last week, Manpower International received notice that 17 of their employees would be laid off when IBM decided to transfer their jobs to Argentina, Boyer said. "It's shocking; it's definitely shocking," she said. Some employees will be working until the end of June, others until the end of July, Boyer said. Although unemployment has reached its highest level since 1984, the Harrisburg area's unemployment rate of 7 percent is still one of the lowest in the state, David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and CREDC, said. -union member-

Comment 05/19/09: To Anonymouse: You'reScrewedBaby is just telling it how it is. He's gone in 6 months, and owes neither IBM nor its employees any allegiance. Maybe this 'in your face' approach is what's needed to get the point across. Yes, IBMers are screwed, no matter what their situation. This guy is just stating the facts from someone on the inside who has nothing to lose. So, I'll say thank you to this person for his honesty. In a tough, and perhaps unpleasant way, he's just dropping the bomb, taking leave, and telling us to do the same. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/19/09: You can draw your own conclusions about contractor status. Also more support for TAA documentation. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/05/local_staffing_agency_employee.html -annonymous-

Comment 05/19/09: >> I'm getting paid $45/hr to process your sorry asses. -You'reScrewedBaby-

How nice of you. Someday, perhaps, you will get yours?

>>IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement management called back the recently laid off employees because the India employees are walking off the job during and after training.

Awwwwwww, isn't that a shame?

>> I found out later that IBM gave me 30 days because they had to by state law.
Did you also have to train your replacement, under threat of SEVERANCE/NO SEVERANCE?
Management was disrespectful, insulting, demeaning, moronic, and humiliating in the last months of my decades long career. Someday, perhaps, they will get theirs?

>>Sammy better rethink his company policy of treating his employees like shit.

Nope, never going to happen. Why should he? He is Lou's clone and will continue to screw his employees until there are only 50K left in America.

Unionize. THAT is the ONLY answer. -Anonymouse-

Comment 05/18/09: "Anyone who still works for IBM seriously needs their head examined. What a garbage company; I was fired (I like using that term instead of resource action) and have found 10-15 jobs within a month, for better pay, better benefits and I don't have to listen to IBM management (the best part). What's best is, I am on the other side now, I am the customer for IBM; prepare for some hellish times when I get payback. I'll be calling IBM for support everyday, plus I eventually plan to weed them out of the entire picture so more of you IBMers lose out.
Have fun!! "
I feel the same way after getting RAed by IBM. My slime ball manager gave me 30 days to find another job. What he didn't tell me is that I was wasting my time trying to find one in IBM. I would apply and no managers would respond. They would not return my phone calls. I found out later that IBM gave me 30 days because they had to by state law. I have a new job now and you better believe I will crap all over IBM when they come calling. Sammy better rethink his company policy of treating his employees like shit. -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: 'Sammy better rethink...': He will do nothing of the sort. Instead of focusing on what HE should do, the focus should be and should have been, in your case, what YOU should do or should have done.

Comment 05/18/09: IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement management called back the recently laid off employees because the India employees are walking off the job during and after training. Every week there are new India Rep. names on the customer records regarding support. Turnover is high. Hardware Entitlement is next. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/18/09: For the folks in RTP (NC): we will have our regular lunch on Thursday 5/21 at Chili's@8341 Brier Creek Parkway (11:30 am). One of the topics of discussion will be the TAA petition. So if you think you're affected and could benefit, please drop by. Also check the thread titled "TAA Program for RAed IBMers" on the Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RAed2009 Thanks. -ex-SWG-

Comment 05/18/09: I am a contractor through Kelly Services working at HQ Markham office in the HR OPS Support Dept. My 6 months ends next month. If any of you think that the RAing is done by end of June or July, you're nuts. Our Word Documents are back-dated all the way to Christmas in terms of getting an idea how busy they are over there. In terms of demographics of people getting fired. People who came to IBM from a buyout/takeover regardless of years served get the axe more often that IBMers who came right off the street. After that, it is all over the map, regardless of age, branch. Even if your manager is pissed at you and you bring in the most money or do the hardest work, you'll get the boot. The less you tell people and mention to your manager that you came from a take over/buyout, the better off you are. I don't know how the 'office' environment is over in the USA, it may be different. I've seen disjointed companies over the years from contracting work, but never have I seen so many people be proud and scared and stressed and pissed off working for a company than IBM each and every day. There are tons of people in the Markham office alone that don't even have their High School Diplomas or GEDs after 5-10 years working for IBM and they have lasted longer and make just as much as people with university degrees, but came off from the street. Now that is a embarrassment. For me, money is great. as a contractor, I was not told to reduce my workload or reduce my time clocking in the hours. I'm getting paid $45/hr to process your sorry asses. -You'reScrewedBaby-

Comment 05/18/09: To those who are asked to come back to IBM after being RAed. I would suggest getting a lawyer before signing anything to be re-employed with IBM. At the very minimum, I would get a legal signed document from IBM stating your past years of service will be re-instated, so in the event of ANOTHER RA against you, you won't get f'ed over with a fresh hire date. Probably won't fly very far, but worth a shot. -anonymous-

Comment 05/18/09: I have the opposite COBRA issue as some have experienced. Here is how it worked in my case. I am eligible for 6 months IBM subsidy after separation based on my years of service, so I was supposed to pay $227 a month (instead of over $800 at 102% rate) for my wife and myself. Then I got a letter in the mail early this month from ESC telling me about Obama COBRA rate reduction act and when I checked in Netbenefits, I was only charged $79.45 a month (65% off AFTER IBM subsidy). I have to call ESC to decline the rate reduction since I am also under my new employer plan. I wanted to keep the IBM plan for 6 months because it covers some treatments not covered under my new employers plan. -exSVLer-

Comment 05/17/09: Life is definitely better outside of IBM. I found a job in April with better pay and great management that leaves technical people alone to get the job done (no more BS PBCs, give-back, etc. from management). I was angry at IBM initially but this may have been the best thing to happen in my career. -RAed in April 2009-

Comment 05/17/09: > IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement management called back the recently laid off employees. If IBM offered me my old job back at 3 times my old salary I'd tell them where to stick it. Life is too short to waste any more of it in the hell hole IBM has become. -anon-

Comment 05/17/09: >>When will people get it? The only time to say 'Shame on you" is when the IBM contract negotiators ask the Union contract negotiators why they insist on something in the contract and the Union negotiators say, "Shame on you for screwing the employees on this issue for years." Now the employees require it be defined in their contract.-Exodus2007-
Excellent post, -Exodus2007-, especially the paragraph above. When will they get it? I doubt they ever will. The employees didn't get jack in the ten years since the rape of 1999, do you think a few thousand jobs sent overseas is going to be THE defining moment for these people? I don't. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/17/09: > IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement management called back the recently laid off employees.
Wow. If they asked me, I wouldn't go back, because I have a new job at a higher salary. However, it certainly would be fun to toy with them and play with their minds for a bit before turning them down. -Anonymous in Rochester-

Comment 05/17/09: When will people get it? The only time to say 'Shame on you" is when the IBM contract negotiators ask the Union contract negotiators why they insist on something in the contract and the Union negotiators say, "Shame on you for screwing the employees on this issue for years." Now the employees require it be defined in their contract.
This is how people "Survive" without a union. They come up with a project and a process that screws everyone else that they are in charge of so it makes a name for them and they survive as long as their project survives. Its called every one for themselves. As long as you resist embracing the concept of joining with your coworkers for the common good, this is the work environment that you create. If its not your project you're screwed. If you do not have managements ear you're screwed. You may be right. You may be the smartest . You may be the youngest. You may be the oldest. You may be a man or a women. You may be the hardest working but you're still screwed. In business you get what you negotiate. That is the very first thing they teach business majors. The second thing is an oral agreement is not worth the paper its not written on. When negotiating get everything in writing. A wink and a promise are no good. Remember IBM told people when they retired all medical would be taken care of. Not in writing. Not taken care of. Stop expecting a Disney ending to employment at IBM or any other company for that matter. And they lived happily ever after does not happen in the real world. What does happen is "And they sued the pants off of their employer for breach of contract and won a fair settlement". The key word is contract. Only with a contract can you "Shame " IBM. As in, They breached the contract and its a shame we had to sue them. Now we got what we were owed and a penalty to boot. They could have saved the stockholders a fortune by following the contract. IBM will continue to sidestep laws like Cobra reductions, WARN and any other law they can sidestep. This is what corporations do to save money. What smart employees do to protect their jobs and families' security is they negotiate and work under contracts. As most employers will not have a contract with a single employee unless you have crazy mad skills that few, if any, people in the world have; then your only chance to have a contract is by jointly negotiating a contract with your co workers. -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: Well said. We agree with you.."When will people get it?" We hope sooner than later. Thanks Exodus2007 for your support and wisdom. It is welcome here anytime.

Comment 05/17/09: >> IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement mangement called back the recently laid off employees. Management reason, "The replacement India employees need more training".
No kidding. There was an attempt made against those fired in GBS to force them to train their replacements beyond the first month of forced training. Happily, the severance had already been announced and those doing the threatening no longer had the severance club they used during the first month. What will IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement do to those brought back, fire them a second time? If this weren't so pathetic and evil, it would be funny.
-IBM SUX-, there already is a group, RAed2009, and there isn't any interest in an EEOC claim. The subject is a dead one. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/17/09: To annonymous re: filing an EEOC charge for age discrimination. If you have strong interest in pursuing that you may want to consider creating a yahoo or google group. This Alliance comments page, although invaluable, is not really enabled for threaded conversations; which is what you need. Personally I'm not convinced there is enough upside benefit to spend energy and time pushing an EEOC claim, but I am willing to listen to the arguments. -IBM SUX-

Comment 05/17/09: IBM Atlanta Software Entitlement mangement called back the recently laid off employees. Management reason, "The replacement India employees need more training". It appears the that IBM Exec's were not happy according to the 1st and 2nd management. Note: the India replacement's are in training from the summer of 2008. Another coverup by local Atlanta management for the real reason/problem. You can't make this stuff up. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/17/09: >> IBM's recent unusual behavior also was noticed by Forbes and Seeking Alpha and may be of interest.
So? Will all those fired since January be reinstated and given back their jobs currently being done by overseas personnel? Or will IBM just laugh this all off and continue on as before? Exactly. Remember: AT-WILL-EMPLOYEE. Looks like all those employees complaining after June 1999 should have organized. Oh that's right, there WEREN'T that many employees complaining after June 1999. Those not affected just went quietly back to work. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/17/09: Hello all, I am a former IBMer that was part of the IGS sale to AT&T a bit over a year ago. I have a couple of questions if anyone like me still visits the alliance's site.
1) Is there a website like this that exists for AT&T?
2) I am hearing very legitimate rumors of a large layoff of us former IBMers coming this week. Has anyone else heard anything? After
having just gone through a re-org in the past couple of weeks I know numerous employees that have been offered 'safe' new positions in the company. Their understanding is that those not offered new positions are not safe this week. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/16/09: I'm convinced that this new bureaucratic time and money wasting garbage such as GenO, RTC (Rational Team Concert), and Career Point is designed to make us quit to save $ on severance packages. It's the worst Sisyphean labor BS to come down the pipes of IGS in years....someone is building their career on this garbage to the detriment of the rest of us. Shame on those selfish, bureaucratic rats and their technical henchmen who are forcing this down our throats! At the end of your days, won't you feel guilty about your self-serving anti-contribution to IBM? SHAME! -Anonymous-

Comment 05/16/09: IBM's recent unusual behavior also was noticed by Forbes and Seeking Alpha and may be of interest. There is apparently a lot going on behind the Big Blue curtain. The below Forbes link has more information about the Audit Integrity report by IBM.
http://finapps.forbes.com/finapps/AccountingRisk.do?tkr=IBM
The below Seeking Alpha links to an article that cuts through IBM's BS and exposes major flaws with IBM's business plan. The author playfully lumps some of it all into one sentence and describes IBM's strategy as "jacking up the dividend, then doing a big ol' share buyback to lure in longs and scare off shorts, resulting in a short-term pop in our stock. Yes, we have a bunch of liabilities that we should probably pay off first, but we'll deal with that later." http://seekingalpha.com/article/134195-ibm-reflating-the-corporate-bubble-ge-style -Anonymous-

Comment 05/15/09: Anyone who still works for IBM seriously needs their head examined. What a garbage company; I was fired (I like using that term instead of resource action) and have found 10-15 jobs within a month, for better pay, better benefits and I don't have to listen to IBM management (the best part). What's best is, I am on the other side now, I am the customer for IBM; prepare for some hellish times when I get payback. I'll be calling IBM for support everyday, plus I eventually plan to weed them out of the entire picture so more of you IBMers lose out. Have fun!! -Anonymous-

Comment 05/15/09: No one said age is the only variable in the layoff 'formula.' But it is significant to the whole strategy as many have pointed out. To my knowledge you must file a discrimination charge with EEOC and await their ruling. If the company is found guilty, the GOVERNMENT imposes sanctions and, you, as the person disriminated against can then file an individual lawsuit for damages. I don't believe you can just file a 'class action suit' before going through that process. I have posted this before but no one seems very interested. Read what you signed -- you did NOT release you right to file a charge with US Equal Employment Opportunity. You DID waive 'relief' - meaning if you sue (after EEOC ruling) you cannot get damages and might have to pay the company's legal expense. HOWEVER, the key phrase is "to the extent permitted by law." Liability waivers do not necessarily hold up in court. People think they do - like signs I know you've seen - 'not responsible for ...whatever.' People cannot waive total liability for their actions - there are legal limits. But unless someone from each 'work group' files a charge so tht EEOC sees a systemic pattern, it's not worth the effort. And I guess we'll never know whether there was age discrimination or not. If you are over 40, go to eeoc.gov, find the phone number and call them for information. I was in S&D and am willing to file a charge - but it's pointless unless people from all the groups affected do the same. The eeoc investigates at the your 'work group' level - which we've learned is very fragmented for exactly this reason (as well as WARN, etc). -annonymous-

Comment 05/15/09: To annonymous & risk profile info: Thanks. Validates what many have been thinking. I'll bet they don't post that one on w3 :) -annonymous-

Comment 05/15/09: Many of us are witnessing corporate behavior by IBM that seems to be getting worse instead of better. Others will deny IBM\'s is doing anything wrong and will argue this is the way companies behave in the 21st Century. I read an investment research report on IBM by Audit Integrity, a firm that evaluates the audit and legal risk profile of about 8,000 companies. The report supports the argument that IBM\'s business practices are questionable and irresponsible. IBM’s risk level was classified as Very Aggressive and IBM’s risk exposure was in the worst 3 percent of the 8,000 companies. As you can see, IBM’s recent behavior is among the worst. The full report on IBM is available for free on Fidelity’s website; however, you can view IBM’s risk rating and a summary report on Audit Integrity’s website using the below link. http://www.auditintegrity.net/public/summary.ai?ticker=ibm -anonymous-

Comment 05/15/09: Just my two cents, but while I agree IBM targeted the more senior staff in the latest RA’s, I don’t entirely agree it’s simply a move to rid themselves of older workers based on age alone, but is a combination of reasons.
1. Senior workers, regardless of age, generally earn higher salaries and result in greater savings.
2. To have made it to “the senior class”, you are a dedicated employee who, even in the boom times, stays true and loyal. – Not likely to bend to attrition, no matter the penalty imposed.
3. Younger workers are different (not a criticism, an observation) – they are not as tolerant or loyal to a given company and when pushed, will leave – thus, no RA, simple attrition.
4. Younger workers have different benefits (i.e. retirement) and are not subject to any grandfathered clauses. They also can change the overall benefits cost if they shift the demographics of the employee base even a few years on average.
5. When I joined, most of my contemporaries were coming over a band 8 or 9. Look at the current IBM postings – most describe band 6 or even lower. I think IBM top loaded to gain market share and now doesn’t need them.
I have watched them bring on a steady stream of “college hires” in the last few years, and most last 2 or 3 years and leave when they realize they won’t be getting double digit increase and promotions every year. They seem focused on climbing and IBM isn’t where it happens. Again, no criticism of them, I was there once myself.
As to skill sets, in the job market I’m looking at, they commonly ask for 7 to 10 years in a given technology or even more, and assume you started you career at 25, the absolute minimum jumps you into you 30’s and probably more if you count in an MBA or several criteria like 5 years as a manager or team lead, etc. Hard to be 30 and have 15 years of professional experience with BSCS and MBA – no offense to those 30’ish folks meant.
Also, interesting to note in the various reporting on “lay-offs” that the 3/27 RA is mentioned on several tracking sites, but no others. I personally know of an entire group in S&D that was notified 1/26, and have heard of others. Those “selected to participate” in that one need to let any media outlet know so they are not forgotten. -RA_04/2009-

Comment 05/15/09: >>First - giving a highly experienced person over 1 years pay to leave is a stupid business decision
FIFTEEN YEARS AND YOU GET OVER ONE YEAR'S PAY TO LEAVE? Seriously? I don't believe you, -bob- -anonymouse-

Comment 05/15/09: >>Why isn't the Take Time being extended to IBMers outside the USA? -anonymous-
Because they will be the ones hired to do the work of those naive enough to take time off, who come back to find themselves fired. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/15/09: ok - here is my chance to say my peace. I was just given notice last friday - stg canada - markham. I was there 15 years. Here is my take on it. First - giving a highly experienced person over 1 years pay to leave is a stupid business decision - by then the recession will be over!. Second, it really does suck here. I am glad to go. They convince you IBM is the best. Really, IBM is getting its ass kicked by competition. Independents and BPs are killing them as far as services go, MS is killing them on the sw side, and power is far far away from competiting in terms of price. Finally system i is toast. So what do they have left? not much. If you are still there - make escape plans. Poorly run in terms of products, pricing, marketing and staffing. Tons of lieing to upper management - false oppties in siebel, crap everywhere and everyone convincing everyone that IBM rules all. Seriously, IBM does not and it is in big trouble. Bigger then people think - even investors. Customers are migrating to the ms stack in droves and using non ibm services to do it. -bob-

Comment 05/15/09: Why isn't the Take Time being extended to IBMers outside the USA? -anonymous-

Comment 05/15/09: I've been catching up on various articles about the IBM layoffs. They refer to the number of layoffs in "North America" as compared to new hiring in places like China and India. But I think that in IBM, "North America" actually includes both North and South America (e.g. Brazil). So the true number of employees being laid off in North America is probably greater than we think, because they have been hiring in Brazil. Can someone comment on this? -Cynic-
Alliance reply: North America job cuts are in the US and Canada. South America is seperate.

Comment 05/15/09: enough with age discrimination, it's all crap. It doesn't even matter - look at the whole picture. -_clam_it_-

Comment 05/14/09: I see people trying to justify IBM's actions by spouting the company bullshit that the "Older" employees no longer had the right skills. Remember that when you condone this behavior by IBM and do nothing to stop it when your turn comes as it surely will then do not complain. Just tell yourself that your skills must have become outdated overnight.. Head meekly and quietly to the unemployment office and when that runs out to the welfare office and take comfort in the fact that what goes around comes around. Or be smart and stand with the older workers who probably trained you or at the very least tolerated your screwups while you learned the ropes and form a union. Ongoing training to maintain job skills can be negotiated in a contract. That way you can't be too valuable right now to go to school then next year outdated. Please do yourselves a favor and stand up for one another. You will be happier and better off if you do. -Exodus2007-

Comment 05/14/09: -- This cannot bode well for actions yet to come.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/IBM-backs-fullyear-profit-apf-15237709.html/print;_ylt=AgRsojPytDRhn2HUA1KrJpzyKIkA
-SickOfItAll-

Comment 05/14/09: Has anyone thought about filing a class action lawsuit against IBM for age discrimination? Clearly, the numbers, which IBM freely provides, support the claim. The off-shoring of jobs provides a particularly despicable and compelling aspect to it, in light of IBM's strong financial results, and the Fear Factor would be a non-issue, as those of us RA'd are no longer employed by IBM. If someone had the gumption to file a lawsuit over the pension changes back then, this would seem to me to be an even stronger case. The Right to Sue that the RA'd gave up willingly would seem to me to be invalid, as we agreed to it under duress -- namely with the Damoclean sword of losing our severance payment suspended over our heads. Would Alliance conceive of taking a leadership role in this, hypothetically speaking? -RA'd in 2004-

Comment 05/13/09: To running_out_of_time: Not true. The Rational brand has been RA'ing in a manner that looks purely like getting to lower headcount numbers, with little regard to what their skills are. In some cases, the only reason I can see for whacking person X was that they were not at that very moment assigned to a release-defining project. Their skills were top-notch, and in some cases they held irreplaceable domain knowledge about products we still claim to support. But, wrong place at the wrong time. It's very short-sighted. -irRational-

Comment 05/13/09: which under current tax >>laws give IBM more flexibility in how they are reported than do domestic U.S. earnings. -CM-
Which is why the shareholders will be fine with IBM firing as many people as they like and hiring as many people overseas as they like. As predicted, in a year this will all be yesterday's news. Remember, Gerstner encouraged the use of the internet to vent during the takeaways of 1999, this is just 1999 redux, but better. Don't forget: 'at will employee'. -anonymous-

Comment 05/13/09: Is anyone filing a charge for age discrimination with the EEOC? I haven't read of anyone doing so. Are we still AFRAID, even after being FIRED? -anonymouse-

Comment 05/13/09: @running_out_of_time: I couldn't disagree with you more. (1) it's not just "older" IBMers that are being RAd. I know several in their late 30's with 15+ years at IBM that were RAd. (2) it's not people lacking skills. I know 12 people who've been RAd (people from all parts of IBM: STG, SWG, S&D, GBS) and 11 of them were some of the best i've ever met. the 12th should have been fired years ago, but that 12th seems to be, by far the exception in terms of who is being RA'd. IMO>> these RA's are about making room for positions in the BRIC countries & more importantly making room for more offshore earnings, which under current tax laws give IBM more flexibility in how they are reported than do domestic U.S. earnings. -CM-

Comment 05/13/09: running_out_of_time...I have to differ with you that the Old Timers don't have the skill sets and therefore are being RA'd. Not the case with my husband who was RA'd after nearly 32 years. We have yet to receive our Cobra package regarding the Obama
thing...can someone please remind me of the number to call and complain/turn them in? TIA~ -justme-

Comment 05/13/09: to -Porkchop- Re: IBM is getting rid of the senior and more experienced employees... I agree IBM is getting rid of senior employees, as in those with a lot of year at IBM. However, and purely my own observation from those let go around me. I haven't seem IBM let go of anybody that excelled in their skill set. So I have to agree they're letting go senior and more experienced mostly in the view of years put in with IBM. And it makes sense, as 'old timers' have anywhere from 4 to 5 weeks of vacation, and usually higher salary (as having been available to take advantage of the good ol days of 5-10% pay increases). -running_out_of_time-

Comment 05/13/09: To Warn Reports: And how do you think the East Fishkill folks sleep at night? A bit confusing though, I heard STG folks in manufacturing would be affected, but the WARN report is vague. That could mean support services only, or a mix between mfg and support. This report is limited to East Fishkill, correct? -Hang On-

Comment 05/13/09: Alliance: My job was offshored like many other IBMers. In order to get TAA benefit, can Alliance file petition for workers like us in order for us to get TAA benefit? It's easier if a group to file TAA petition rather than by each individual. TAA info: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitions.cfm -Ruby-Associated Member-
Alliance reply: Yes, for Alliance@IBM members only. Send us your name and phone number to ibmunionalliance@gmail.com

Comment 05/13/09: Oh Really? "We haven’t slashed pay of our people (that’s an HP dig). We haven’t because we don’t have to. It’s the nature of the annuity-like part of our business.” http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=17923 -annonymous-

Comment 05/13/09: To answer this question...Question: Does IBM have a classical job cut function like Mills alleges that Oracle has? -Anonymous- Yes it does. IBM's uses the Al Capone formula first used in the St. Valentines day Massacre. Putting the employees against a wall and machine gunning them has a far reaching and paralyzing effect on other employees who may think about resisting your oppression. They tried to patent it but Al beat them to it, Not that his patent meant he had anyting to do wit dat unfortunate incident your honor. -Exodus2007-

Comment 05/13/09: http://www.cio.com/article/492563/Too_Much_Experience_Could_Be_Hurting_Your_IT_Job_Search -- this is obviously the case in some areas, as IBM is getting rid of the senior and more experienced employees while posting job openings for low-pay staff in these new centers. -Porkchop-

Comment 05/13/09: CT Dept. of Labor WARN site: http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/progsupt/bussrvce/warnreports/2009%20Warn%20Reports/warnreports2009.htm -sby_willie-

Comment 05/13/09: RE: Alliance reply: "Employees would not have to depend on WARN or most other weak US labor laws, if they were union and had a contract to spell out all those kinds of situations over the life of the contract." -- There are many companies on that warn report that have unions. People in unions still get layed off. They may walk away with a little more money but it doesn't stop the layoffs. To have any quality of life you can't work for a company like IBM. Who wants to constantly worry about their job? I'm all for a union so we can have better working conditions and benefits, but working for a company like IBM is no way to live your life. When I got the axe I
found a company that treats me well, weekends and holidays are now my own, when I go home at night there is no pager in my pocket. That is what I call work/life balance and quality of life. -warn_reports-
Alliance reply: Our reply did not say that unions prevented layoffs. However, the layoff process is spelled out in the contracts of many unions; especially CWA contracts. They stipulate exactly what the terms are and how those being laid-off by the company, will be selected; as well as severances, etc. Laid-off employees are usually called back to work when things improve for the company. Those employees have first shot at their former job...NOT a new hire by the company.

Comment 05/12/09: Warn Act Notice in NC as of 03/26/2009 taking effect on 05/26/2009 of 534 people. The blood continues to flow on a monthly basis. http://intranet.nccommerce.com/warn/ -Waiting for the Axe-

Comment 05/12/09: For those in CA that get picked off in smaller numbers (so IBM can avoid WARN) do you think that the RA will happen on 5/26 (like CA WARN) or 6/24 so we all get booted out the door at the same time? Also, is IBM caving in and following the rules with regard to subsidized Cobra or are they still forcing everyone to pay the full amount and fight for reimbursement later on? Thanks, -Almost done-

Comment 05/12/09: Not sure wthis was mentioned already: IBM Named Innovation Leader for Outsourcing -
http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/PRNEWS.20090507.NY13295/GIStory/ Those patents are paying off. -already rah-ed-

Comment 05/12/09: to -Anonymous UK- a pay freeze? big deal - hundreds of US employees have been on an unnounced pay freeze for years - those who haven't received a raise. At least they're officially stating it now, at least for the UK. All in all, a pay freeze beats a pay cut, and both beat being RAed. Perhaps all the bad press IS catching up with IBM .-running_out_of_time-

Comment 05/12/09: Rumour has it - but based on leaks from briefings to managers - that IBM UK will shortly announce a pay freeze for all staff - no exceptions - in the UK for this year. -Anonymous UK-

Comment 05/12/09: I wish we had the "WARN" system you have in the US here in Canada. Has anyone heard about GBS here? -In the Dark-Alliance reply: WARN is better than nothing; however, not much better in IBM's case. IBM has learned how to 'get around' WARN by firing just under the number that's required to notify through WARN. IBM fires in the low 20's or even 3-10 employees in a function that is spread around 2 or 3 states, and they don't necessarily, have to notify through WARN. It's typical of companies like IBM to find every way they can to skirt government regs and laws for their own sake. Employees would not have to depend on WARN or most other weak US labor laws, if they were union and had a contract to spell out all those kinds of situations over the life of the contract.

Comment 05/12/09: Confirmed today in Canada - all contractors to take 20% time off for the next 4 weeks. This is in addition to the 10% rate cuts a few months ago. -DM-

Comment 05/12/09: Per California WARN Notice LAYOFF DATE OF: 5/26/09 IBM - COSTA MESA 62 {600 Anton Blvd} ; IBM - SAN FRANCISCO 52 {425 Market St}; IBM - SAN JOSE 110 {4400 N. 1st St}; IBM - SAN JOSE 7 {650 Harry Rd}; IBM - SAN JOSE 11 {5600 Cottle} -BlueBlows-

Comment 05/12/09: Layoff date 6/24/2009 Just search the warn report for your state for more info if you are still hanging in there and wondering about the next layoff. http://www.labor.state.ny.us/app/warn/details.asp?id=2149 -warn_reports-

Comment 05/12/09: Checkout the following link that outlines layoffs across the country by company name and numbers. IBM is also listed in there with the date layoffs took place.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/17/layoff-tracker-unemployement-lead-cx_kk_1118tracker.html -LeftAtMyOwnWill-

Comment 05/12/09: Interview with Mills: Mills: The problem with Sun is that for the past decade it's had no road map for Sparc, and sales have suffered as a result. Oracle's not a hardware company, so it doesn't have the wherewithal to deliver a road map for either design or fabrication. So Sun is exactly where it started. It doesn't gain anything as a hardware company by being acquired by a non-hardware company. And if you look at Sun's revenue, it's a hardware-based business. So Oracle now has something that is not in any way compatible with what they do everyday. And they promised the street $1.5 billion in profit to boot. So what you're going to do is jack up all the prices in classical Oracle fashion and cut a lot of people in classical Oracle fashion. And all of that's going to lead to more customer disruption and likely create a lot of opportunity. For every action there's a reaction. http://www.infoworld.com/d/architecture/what-ibm-thinks-about-oracle-buying-sun-937

Question: Does IBM have a classical job cut function like Mills alleges that Oracle has? -Anonymous-

Comment 05/12/09: Is anyone monitoring the WARN notices across the US. According to this site, there have already been over 300 positions under threat in California alone in Q2. http://www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/warn/eddwarncnal09.pdf -Anonymous UK-

Comment 05/12/09: If anyone is interested, here's the WARN ACT list for California: http://www.edd.ca.gov/jobs_and_training/warn/eddwarncnal09.pdf -UnderGround RailRoad-

Comment 05/12/09: Have a question about WARN notices. I'm seeing in a notice summary database that about 250 folks total that will be cut in California on 5/26. When a warn notice is posted, does that mean the effected folks have already been notified that their last day is 5/26, or does that mean a new round of notifications will go out on 5/26? -Confused about WARN-

Comment 05/12/09: >>Shame on you WSJ<<
Rupert Murdoch owns the WSJ. Are you surprised? Murdoch is a corporate whore and will spin the story any which way IBM wants him to. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/12/09: to -Chicago- I didn't get that email yet. But glad to see it's possibly making its rounds internally. Maybe all you that posted about how to get RAdd should just start using the PDLs (Public Distribution Lists) and send these emails out to everybody. -running_out_of_time-

Comment 05/12/09: A great idea! Then India will off-shore work to us. Revenge is sweet. -Drgunzet-
Comment 05/08/09: To anonymous, Oh GEEZ, why don't Alliance close this site, because anonymous is completely right. We have no right to form a Union, we have no right to complain, Let's just tell IBM we will work for minimum wage as long as we can keep our jobs and benefits. Alliance, please shut the lights off and go home, I think with that blissful message, we can all go home now. -WHAT-EVER-

Comment 05/12/09: >> Some of us got the following sent to our IBM email addresses.
EXCELLENT, Alliance! Keep that up, you MAY actually wake them up withan email campaign. I can just hear the managers now preparing the spin to counter the truth. His lackeys probably had to interrupt Sam in his counting room to let him know what was going on.
"And fear is the rule of the day in IBM. It doesn't have to be this way." Perfect. Are you also sending these emails to those overseas who have been trained IN the jobs taken away from Americans, and trained BY the Americans whose jobs they were taking? They need to read the truth as well. -anonymouse-

Comment 05/12/09: Any way to find out how many ex-IBMers are now collecting unemployment? Maybe if we have these numbers our Congressional reps. and Pres. Obama can present this to Sam's bloated face and say no stimulus money or tax breaks unless you bring these people back and off the unemployment roles since it is hurting the economic recovery and IBM is still an American company despite your views. I still find it UTTERLY ABSURD that Palmisano says he knows 900,000 jobs in the USA could be created if the government invests $30 billion in IT. Oh, BTW, these jobs would only pay about $30,000 or so even if they were created. If Sam is now an economist as well as a greedy CEO we are in a whole lot of trouble. -ITresource-

Comment 05/12/09: CA WARN notice shows 62 employees being laid off in Orange County, and more than 100 employees in northern california -IBMer-

Comment 05/11/09: This is very poor investigative journalism. Obviously the reporter did not research the number of jobs added overseas (parallels the US cuts); disregarded or is unaware that current employees are forced to train their foreign replacements (thereby negating the statement that people without the right skills are the ones who are laid off.) And the figure of adding 4000 new jobs for the GBS analytics practice is false. He obviously didn't check job openings online. And in earlier articles, IBM itself stated that they were moving current GBS employees into this new group - these are not all new jobs. There is some truth to the article, but the reporter should not have used IBM as an example unless it focused on offshoring. Shame on you WSJ. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124198904713604533.html -annonymous-

Comment 05/11/09: IBM will lose smaller accounts as the GDF moves are completed, but many large ones will sign on with aplomb. All that the larger clients care about is the bottom line. CFO and CIOs worry about the money that they have to report, and a savings will always make them look good. The larger the customer, the less chance there will be that they hear complaints about how poor the service is or how long it takes to get something done right. It will take them much longer to determine that what they are paying for is not being delivered out of this new framework. Notice how IBM is spinning this? There are plenty of reports lately on how IBM is hiring in Iowa despite the rough economy. There will be plenty of unskilled and unemployed workers lining up to take a Band 3 job at the GDF. Their performance will be horrid, and the reputation of IT service professionals will suffer overall as a result, but IBM will find their lackeys. -Porkchop-

Comment 05/11/09: I would like to remind everyone to write to their congressmen, now and repeatedly, support the Obama administration's proposal to end offshore tax loopholes. have sent to all my representatives. If you're not sure what to write, here's an example:
Dear Representative x,
Please work to close the corporate tax loophole that allows offshore earnings to stay offshore indefinitely.
The current tax loophole is encouraging investment in overseas facilities and costing more American jobs than it could ever provide
in return. The jobs being lost are good jobs; high-tech jobs; just the type of job we want in America. The CEO's of large corporations may support the loophole, but they are few in number compared to the voting workers who want jobs to stay in the United States. Step up and support the American worker, not the CEO's who care more about personal profits than about America's future.
Sincerely, -CM-

Comment 05/11/09: As an ex ibmer, to all those people who are still at ibm and wanted to volunteer to be RA-ed, you know your manager would want you to just quit if you were fed up so here's a plan. If the Take Time program comes to your division then take it and get a different job at a different company. All's fair in love and war. At the end of the summer you can see if you get RA-ed and if not, keep the job you like best. Under this scenario you get full pay from the new company and 1/3 pay from ibm and severence from ibm with maybe another full months pay before your final ibm day if you do get RA-ed. I say there is no need to tell ibm anything. -BugBert-

Comment 05/11/09: Response to the letter sent to Senator Robert Menendez from NJ:
Thank you for contacting me to express your concern with recent layoffs and outsourcing by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you on this vital issue. As you know, there have been reports indicating that IBM has begun the process of laying off thousands of American employees and is replacing these workers with cheaper labor in foreign markets. This is done in spite of relatively strong earnings recently for the corporation in this difficult economic climate.
As your United States Senator, I am committed to protecting the livelihood of American workers. The federal government has taken swift action in the past months to stave off economic disaster through the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but a return to long-term growth and prosperity requires cooperation from the corporate sector. In these difficult economic times, American families are being asked to tighten their belts, and corporations must follow suit. But, by preserving jobs in this country, American corporations will contribute, not hinder recovery. I am committed to taking whatever steps necessary to make sure those good-paying, skilled jobs are available for Americans. Please rest assured that I will continue to fight for American workers and their families. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance. I invite you to visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov) to learn of other important issues to New Jersey. -New Jersey Fodder-
Alliance reply: Notice the nebulous commitment. Most of these reps may even be truly sincere...but, you can't rely on this one or any of them to organize the company for you. If IBMers want a contract and want to slow down the offshoring and stop the tax breaks, and stop the firing and abuse; they need to organize and fight for their jobs. Simple.

Comment 05/11/09: Question - can people that were laid off join the Alliance or is it too late? Also, I worked in Tucson in STG since 1995 and didn't know there was a union trying to organize. I thought after the Cooper /pension lawsuit the union talk all went away. Sorry. -laid-off @ 50-
Alliance reply: Yes, ex-IBM employees can join. We are more than an organization for current employees.
We are advocates for workers in the tech field.
Join The Alliance! (check or money order form & donations) OR
Join The Alliance! (credit card sign-up form)

Comment 05/11/09: Some of us got the following sent to our IBM email addresses. Thank you!
Dear co-worker,

IBM executives are selling us out. Since January almost 10,000 of our co-workers have been terminated from our company. Our Jobs are being offshored at a record rate. Senior employees close to retirement are targeted for resource actions. Reimbursement for internet access for work at home employees eliminated. Employees forced to move to GDF's out of state with no relocation pay.
And fear is the rule of the day in IBM. It doesn't have to be this way.
The Alliance@IBM is the only employee support group leading the way out of this valley of despair that corporate management is forcing employees into. Our organization and web site www.allianceibm.org is the only place IBM employees can go for news, information, resources and support. Isn't it time you joined with your co-workers to build a better future for employees and yourself? Join those making a stand today! www.allianceibm.org

Statement of Principles:
Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701 is an IBM employee organization that is dedicated to preserving and improving our rights and benefits at IBM.
We also strive towards restoring management's respect for the individual and the value we bring to the company as employees. Our mission is to make our voice heard with IBM management, shareholders, government and the media. While our ultimate goal is collective bargaining rights with IBM, we will build our union now and challenge IBM on the many issues facing employees from off-shoring and job security to working conditions and company policy. The Alliance@IBM team -Chicago-

Comment 05/11/09: I just read an article titled: "Obama White House to toughen antitrust rules. Large high-tech companies likely to receive more scrutiny." I am glad that our government is enforcing laws regulating corporate behavior. It's a start. See link. -LearningFast-

Comment 05/11/09: A question about organizing: Is one way to organize to get a majority of an entire location to join? I've never been 100% clear on the distinctions and what constitutes a bargaining unit. If the majority of non-management at a single site would be eligible, maybe it would help to have a target number per site? For instance, how many total non-management employees are with hypothetical IBM Site A? I'm guessing this includes contractors. Does it matter where they work - ie: tape pool, cleaning crew, security, networking, operations, work at home, etc? WAH types are each connected to a particular site whether they ever go there or not. Is there any way to get a total number of union-eligible employees at any one site and take it from there? Having a hard number as a goal might help as I have a suspicion it would actually be a lower number than many of us assume -Numerologist-

Comment 05/11/09: >>From May 10 - June 13, all contractors must reduce hours worked by 20%
So, Take Away Your Pay Time is scheduled for May 15 through August 31, and contractors are being furloughed from May 10 to June 13. Coincidence? -anonymouse-

Comment 05/10/09: To MIT Student: IBM is not the only company to spawn bitter employees. I've talked laid off employees from countless other companies who are even angrier. If I have learned anything from IBM, it is to keep your skills current and always keep looking for the next job, no matter how good your job seems. Company loyalty is dead these days. -Anonymous-

Comment 05/10/09: Obama on YouTube - watch a bit after 1:39 ... talks about companies shiping jobs overseas - Should Alliance Union Reps Point out to Obama IBM? and why such company is still getting breaks from US Taxes that US employees pay into? YouTube Link -Joe-
Alliance reply: Last month we had members and supporters send a "take action" email to congress and the President. Did you participate?

Comment 05/10/09: Artech, who all the IBM contractos work for, or are a subcontractor of, has announced a mandatory work furlough. From May 10 - June 13, all contractors must reduce hours worked by 20%. Depending upon the organization, this may mean 5 unpaid days off in this period. This applies to the GDF staff, not sure about other organizations. Now we see the true reason for the new bias towards contractors. Just furlough them and save money immediately. The few employees left are forced to work unpaid overtime. Nearly all the 10,000 IBM staff terminated in the past 6 months were employees - not contractors. It appears to me that the GDF is not as successful as the big wigs planned. Several big accounts have pulled out of the GDF and/or never went in. IBM is in jeopardy of losing other big accounts too. The idea of providing limited services by low paid staff with little experience is not working. As a result of this short sighted management to save money, IBM will lose more accounts. It may take a while, but the big blue beast is heading for demise. -IBMer-

Comment 05/10/09: What is the smallest organizational unit that can be organized? And what prevents IBM from simply declaring (purely by the luck of the draw of course) that a small organization that wants a union vote is completely surplus? -Thinking-
Alliance reply: It isn't a 'size' issue, necessarily. Size and location are only two factors. The main thrust of IBM's resistance will be denial of the unit 's exsistence, altogether. The difficulty is that IBM has been clever about spreading out their "organizational units" all over the globe. Then labor laws in each place fail to account for that reality, and the 'unit' can't necessarily be declared a bargaining unit. IBM is not as dumb as they are evil. Our best shot is getting small groups of members to actively organize their co-workers and get their co-workers to do the same. The hope is that it spreads like "spilled gasoline on a driveway"....... figuratively speaking, of course.

Comment 05/10/09: Can the alliance provide IBM US headcount numbers by year? My investigation indicates there were 160,000 IBM US in 2001, and that the numbers for the last couple of years are 121,000 and 115,000. I am starting to think that Robert Cringely's report from a couple of years ago that IBM was planning to layoff 100,000 US was in fact, correct. -Thinking-
Alliance reply: Your numbers of 121,000 and 115,000 are correct. Subtract the 10,000 from first quarter job cuts and we are down to 105,000. But also remember the number of employees forced out and retired over the years AND the fact that IBM has also been hiring new people from aquisitions. The number of job cuts has been very high. Only IBM knows the true number. We can only guess/estimate; because IBM never confirms their headcount or releases numbers of total workforce reduction, publicly. They never have. Whether Cringley is correct or not is nearly a moot point by now. It's clear that IBM is on a long term mission to reduce the US IBM workforce to close to a single digit percentage; by virtue of their desire to increase the workforce in BRIC and elsewhere. That '900,000' IT tech job idea from Sam Palmisano to Obama is nothing but deception and an outright lie, to get $30B in Stimulus $$$. Wonder why Cringley didn't come out with a comment on that?

Comment 05/09/09: I think everyone here supports the goal of an employment contract and feels frustrated. There are about 105K US employees now (115K reported on 12/31/08 less 10K laid off so far this year). I don't know how many are non-mgmt - but guessing at least half or 50-60K ? If so, a majority vote would take over 30K people signing up. I doubt that many are even aware of the union. If you focused on one group or site with a manageable number of employees -- that has been hard hit or a group that already has some union members -- it would be more realistic to get a majority. Once an employment contract is in place for that group, I believe it will spread. I wouldn't stop encouraging all to join, but people here know better than anyone -- where's the best place to start to hold some lunches or happy hour to get a movement going? If people KNOW enough other people are willing to join, there is a feeling of safety in numbers. -my two cents-
Alliance reply: You make several good points. Question: Why do you "doubt that many are even aware of the union"? Why do you think that is the case? Not to be defensive; but we have made concerted efforts on a list of ideas, to communicate our existence and ways in which IBMers can be involved with the process. We have held meetings, demonstrations; initiated press releases, sent thousands of emails, appeared on local and national news programs, made thousands of phone calls, and lately have become very active on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. One thing we cannot do, is walk into an IBM site location and declare the place 'unionized'. That has never happened with ANY union historically, and never will happen. We have been trying very hard to "get a majority" of IBMers to sign-up. Our critics and enemies continue to blast us with emails that say "You idiots think that the way to organize a union is to post messages here and on Yahoo message boards."... So that means apparently, that we ARE getting the word out. We need our members to all become 'active' organizers in a small or big way. What stops them? FEAR. Fear of being public; Fear of reprisal from IBM, Fear that they can never go back to who they were before they decided to step up and be counted. We understand all that fear. Many of us went through the same thing; in some cases at a very highly concentrated dose... We whole heartedly support the "lunches" or "happy hour" approach; but that means the members must become 'visible' to at least a few people, in the begining. None of us here ever said, this is easy o do. It's not easy. But it is worth it, if you want a decent employment contract. There are literally hundreds of thousands of union members that have just that; and it all started with their effort to organize.

Comment 05/09/09: It is interesting how people cope with the stress of losing a job. Some become so engrossed with fear so that they are immobile, some make plan B, and some just want someone to feel sorry for them. I certainly do not like to see people demoralized, but on the flip side I just do not understand why people are not willing to take a stand for themselves. Your master is your boss and he is beating you down. How much more are you willing to take before you start blocking the punches?
If people cannot think enough of themselves, then why not try showing empathy for your fellow co-worker whom probably needs their job as much as you do. Stand up for your rights, it is a small decision and you can do it. Why do you want empathy from others, but you are not willing to show empathy for those same people.
I feel empathy for those that are so scared that they do not help themselves by standing up for their rights.
I feel empathy for those that lose their homes because they cannot make the mortgage payment after drying up their retirement fund in a
last ditch effort to save their home. Knowing this in advance and they still did nothing to fight for their jobs.
I feel sympathy for those over 40 years old because they do not realize how hard it will be to find another job in these trying
economic times.
I pity those poor poor souls that will end up in the Un-Employment line applying for benefits and these people did absolutely Nothing to
try save themselves from that demise.
Do not let fear control your life, do something now. http://www.myfavoriteezines.com/articles/fear-courage-how-to.html -Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself FDRs First Inaugural Address-

Comment 05/09/09: Ok let's review: Fear is the major tool of choice and preference for IBM executive management to keep employees from joining the union and standing up for themselves; while IBM management continues to slash jobs in the US. The only way to make their 'tool useless' is to organize. Build the membership to the point where you can declare a 'majority card sign' or request for a 'secret ballot vote'. Either one will do. Consider this: When GW Bush ran for office in 2000, the Republican machine went into organizing gear. The same happened when Obama ran in 2008. The point is that regardless of party or politics; the organizing was what contributively, produced a winner. As Exodus2007 has pointed out many many times: political reps, govt agencies, and political parties are not going to organize IBM for you. YOU must do it. Joining Alliance@IBM and contributing $$ toward the organizing campaign is only the first step. Once you do that, the organizing must kick in. YOU must spread the word, through any means necessary and available, that IBMers need a contract and they need one NOW! No more waiting! No more conciliatory pandering to 'feelings' and posting your fears and regrets. Start DOING something. FDR is/was not a popular President among some people; but he was absolutely right about fear..he said "The only thing we have to Fear... is Fear itself"... it's clear what he meant. If you let fear grip you and numb you; you won't be able to fight back. Think about it. I think Alliance@IBM has been overwhelmingly empathetic and sympathetic to all those who have come here to rant, cry and search for answers. Decide that you will not let fear have its way with you. Stand up for each other and organize. It's the only mission left for you to do...maybe in your whole life. Think about it. -Ubuntu2u2-

Comment 05/09/09: homerJ you were spot on with the date of the last RA in Rochester. Looks like the last Thursday of the month, following the end of the quarter. So, July 30th. Hang on! -stg'er-

Comment 05/09/09: Suffice to say IBM Management is planning something. We do not know and can not ever be sure what it is and when it will be implemented. We can waste our time, our energy , our sanity worrying about when they will attack their U.S. workforce again and why and how, or we can redouble our efforts to organize ourselves which requires no cooperation from IBM or its stockholders or HR or anyone in management. It does not matter what they plan if we get organized and demand contracts . At least for the terms of the contract WE can plan and relax and know we will have a job or know the terms of our layoffs as defined by our contract. There is NOTHING anyone can do to stave off an RA. Read the comments. Top performers get terminated all the time if the business unit is shutting down in the United States . I for one would rather not die like the steers in the slaughterhouse; but like the bull in the arena charging the matador! ALL IBMers need to understand that as progress is made in a union business unit, IBM will have to make concessions or face more units organizing. It will have an uplifting affect on everyones quality of life. Well, Maybe not Sams or the head of HR, but non-executives will certainly enjoy the benefits of a contract . I certainly understand being apprehensive because a major change will occur in your lives, when you are union workers. You will know whats coming next for the length of your contract and you will have a say and a vote in what the next contract will be. Whats wrong with that? -Exodus2007-

Comment 05/09/09: To MIT student: Smart decision. Looks like MIT is doing its job teaching you to think on your feet. To everyone -- just a reminder of the power of 'six degrees of separation.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation -small world-

Comment 05/09/09: >>In light of the current economic conditions,
-ex employee-, isn't that interesting? That's just how they started out the letter that informed the Black Thursday 5000 that they were being fired and that many of their jobs were being outsourced overseas and that they had 30 days to train their replacements or otherwise they wouldn't get the severance, IF there was one. Isn't it lucky that the economy went south thanks to the administration so that IBM could use the words
>>In light of the current economic conditions, and that IBM legal had them all at the ready? -anonymouse-

Comment 05/09/09: How is the alliance membership drive going? Are people starting to join more? -want to know-
Alliance reply: Unfortunately no. We got 10 new members for May so far. At this rate we certainly will not reach our goal of 200.
What to say? We know there is fear in the halls of IBM; but we have always said you can't let that paralyze you.
We do not give out the names of members so that should not be an issue.
We have said repeatedly that the Alliance can not survive if employees don't contribute.
We lose members due to job cuts and we need to have new members in order to continue our work.
We can not expand our work without members.
Many come here for the information and help and do so for free. That can not continue and we have said in the past that our services and information, if membership does not grow, will only be for members only. We don't want to go to that extreme.
$10 a month for full membership (including Union Plus benefits), $5 a month for associate membership.
Think about what happens if the Alliance is not here.

Comment 05/09/09: I just don't understand who people are trying to impress by working extended hours over the required time that IBM mandates each employee work. I can assure I am not one of those suckers. I have worked on occasion in the past, but it came tied to comp time off or I put in Totals for extra pay. You are your own problem when it comes to overtime, all you have to do is just say no. The management is responsible for the work load, not the employee. Do the math and go home after 40 hours. There is no such thing as job security without the Union. Do NOT kid yourself by thinking you are actually impressing somebody by working overtime. You are nothing but a sucker if you do. -Why-Work-Overtime-

Comment 05/09/09: Amen, -ex_ibm_lackey- for your Comment 05/09/09. Amen, -WHAT-EVER- for your Comment 05/08/09.

How sad for those who don't see this. >>By year end 2010, 10% of IBM will be located in the US.

Wow. This bears repeating to those who STILL think 'whew, I missed another cut, it can't happen to me': By year end 2010, 10% of IBM will be located in the US.

>>Why are IBM US employees so cordial to the H-1Bs that are here to take your job? Fear and threats and intimidation.

>>Why do you even train them? Because of the threats over NOT getting a severance package.

>>A small severance package? It beats leaving with nothing.

>>Organize or remain as you are Amen.

>> have a bit of a problem understanding and empathizing with people who don't seem to want to help themselves.

-ex_ibm_lackey-, when did you leave IBM? If recently, and you smelled the fear in the hallways, you would understand. It is beyond belief, but the employees are paralyzed with fear. They don't deserve loathing from their fellow employees and retirees that they already get from management and the trolls here and on the Yahoo boards. They deserve empathy. -anonymous-
Alliance Reply: They also deserve a contract; if they will organize and fight for one.

Comment 05/09/09: I recently left IBM but just got this in my email from my former contractor employer:
In light of the current economic conditions, IBM recently notified CDI that from May 10th through June 13th all CDI ITD resources are required to reduce normal work schedules by 20%. This action is not a reflection of any dissatisfaction over the services provided by you or CDI but rather a business decision. Your IBM Manager will work directly with your CDI Account Executive to coordinate a reduced work schedule that minimizes any impact to IBM or its clients. You should receive the communication regarding your reduction schedule from your CDI Account Executive. When you begin working the reduction schedule and notifying CDI of these reduced work hours please enter 0 hours into the CDI Web Based Time reporting tool and note the word “furlough” in the comment section. This decision and action is not to be discussed with any IBM clients. It is expected that normal work schedules will resume after this request is completed. -ex employee-

Comment 05/09/09: Take Time program......... Why so many questions about IBM's motivation ? IBM knows that employees will take the time off at 1/3 pay. Except IBMers will not take that time off, they will continue to work from home or come into the office to train their indian replacements. IBMers are so afraid now to take even a long weekend. IBM has you by the short hairs so you will work continuously for .33333 of your salary. You don\'t want it to look like IBM can manage without you for a few days now, do ya ?
Just a warning, this may become your full salary. IBM is just testing the waters. I covered a meeting for my manager. Here is the plan. By year end 2010 10% of IBM will be located in the US. The remaining employees will be located in india, singapore, hong kong, vietnam, communist china, brazil, argentina, russia & eastern europe etc.... The few with balls in EU will remain for a while. I have a question. Why are IBM US employees so cordial to the H-1Bs that are here to take your job ? Why do you even train them ? A small severance package ? What do you think your expected survival rate would be in their country ? They know you are losing your livelihood to them.
You have two options. Organize or remain as you are. I don't work for IBM anymore, but the people who read this site (non IBM employees - media included ) have a bit of a problem understanding and empathizing with people who don't seem to want to help
themselves. After reading many of the posts, I'm in agreement. -ex_ibm_lackey-

Comment 05/08/09: Word just came through that contractors in through CDI will be required to take 20% time off between the middle of May and the middle of June. CDI will work with the first line IBM manager to "minimize any impact". In already-strapped groups, this is pie-in-the-sky thinking. -CDI_drone-

Comment 05/08/09: C'mon folks. The Time Out program is a way for IBM to retain skills without paying for them. If they laid off the workers, they'd not only lose the skills but they'd have to pay unemployment. Then, when the workload increased with the economy, they'd not only have to hire, they'd have to train people....an expensive proposition. So they're hedging their bets by making this offer. One way to use the Time Out productively is to secure employment elsewhere. -Think-

Comment 05/08/09: The 40+ IBM employee population is dwindling - no news here. There will be a generation shift beginning now. The new employees coming in, whether here or in BRIC countries, will have little to no expections of this corporation. They will have a job with a stated salary, that's it. They will work